Pyromaniac
by FastForward
Summary: Sasuke is a firefighter intent on bringing down his arsonist of a brother, who only has one goal in life: kill Sasuke. Which of the two brothers will come out on top, and how many will die in the crossfire? SasuNaru
1. Newbie

**Yo! So... firefighters. Gotta love them. They're hot, pardon the pun. I'm not a firefighter. I like to play with fire, therefore, _were_ I a firefighter, I would probably end up burning down the station. That being said, I did a lot of research to write this fic, but I may have just mixed and matched things from different countries and stuff, so if there's a REAL firefighter reading this, I apologize if I am butchering your profession. Feel free to correct me, I would appreciate it, actually. Would make my life a hell of a lot easier if you could send me all the correct terms and stuff. **

**That being said, because this requires so much research, this fic will not be coming out rapid-fire the way all my others have been, as those of you who have read them know. AND, don't worry anyone also reading "To Hear Your Voice Again", it's not being discontinued. I'm still working on it, but I got excited about this one. I'll try my best to get this out as often as possible, but the research is going to kill me and slow it down. Anyway, enjoy :) **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is K. Masashi's, but I plan on owning Kiba any minute now :P **

**The Leviathan: My muse insisted on betaing this. I still love you, and I hope you like this one :) **

**Warning: Will involve yaoi. Most probably, SasuNaru. Sorry... **

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* * *

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Sasuke Uchiha reached over and turned off his alarm clock as it rang, signalling it was six in the morning. Slowly, he sat up, stretching and cracking his neck before climbing out of bed. He had fifty minutes before he had to head to work.

Padding across the room to his bathroom, the raven turned on the shower and brushed his teeth as he waited for the water to heat up. Seconds later, he was in the shower.

He heard around the workplace that they were going to have someone new today, and he scowled, annoyed. Then again, he shouldn't worry. They never lasted. They were always scared off. _Or they die,_ he thought dispassionately as he turned off the water and grabbed his towel.

His phone rang in his room so, wrapping the towel around his waist, he padded towards it and answered.

"Sasuke, you haven't been around in a while." He heard Sakura Haruno's annoying voice ring down the line, and he could've sworn she was pouting, even though he couldn't see her. "Ino and I miss you."

"I've been busy." he replied curtly.

"We know that." Ino Yamanaka's voice said. He was either on speaker, or they were both holding the phone. "But you used to come in almost every day with someone. Now, you don't."

_It's to escape from you,_ he thought, annoyed, a sour look on his face.

"I have to be at work in thirty minutes. I have to go." He hung up without waiting for a reply, heading towards his closet to pull out some clothes. He pulled on a pair of black pants and a loose-fitting black shirt before throwing his used towel in the hamper and heading out of his room, his wet hair dripping onto his shirt-collar.

As he headed for the kitchen, he ran his hand up backwards at the back of his hair, trying to get it to stick out. He'd found out young in life that his hair didn't need gel to take the shape he wanted it to. All he had to do was get it wet and then shape it the way he wanted, and it would stay like that until it got wet again. It made his life easier, considering how many showers he had to take in one day.

Sasuke made himself some eggs for breakfast before sitting down with a cup of coffee and a newspaper to read what was going on in the world. He sipped his drink slowly as he scanned the black and white pages before him, scowling at a few things he saw written there.

He heard a car horn honking outside, followed by a "Sasuke!"

The raven scowled, annoyed. _Why does the idiot have to wake up the entire neighbourhood when he comes to pick me up? I have a doorbell, dammit!_

Pouring out the remainder of his coffee, the raven put his shoes on and exited his house, locking the door behind himself. Honestly, he wouldn't bother with catching a ride every morning, but he didn't like having to drive. If he could have someone else do it for him, he was happier—or, as happy as Sasuke Uchiha could _be_, anyway.

"Moron." he grumbled as he got into the car. "Why does everyone have to know when you get here? I have a doorbell."

"Wow, Uchiha, you're actually _talking_?" The other man smirked, his elongated canines taunting Sasuke. The Uchiha merely buckled himself in and crossed his arms.

"Why are you so grumpy, Sasuke?" The man then hit his head. "What am I talking about? You're _always_ grumpy."

"Fuck you, Inuzuka."

"Sorry Sasuke," the brunette replied as he shifted into first, "I ain't gay." He screeched down the street at breakneck speed, leaving tread-marks behind him.

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki groaned as he rolled over and slammed his hand on the snooze button for what he estimated to be the fifth time, rolling back over to get five more minutes of sleep. He knew he shouldn't. He knew he had to get up and be at work in about an hour. But dammit, he was tired!

His alarm rang again and he rolled over to hit the snooze for a sixth time when his eyes opened slightly and focused on the time. They then snapped open and he let out a yelp as he jumped out of bed.

"Shit! Shit!"

It was twenty to seven. He had to be at work ten minutes before seven. He was so screwed.

"Shit! Fucking snooze button!" he growled angrily as he ran to his bathroom to shower. "I'm going to start putting that fucking alarm clock across the room! How many times did I _hit_ that thing?.!"

The blond jumped into the shower, barely washing himself before jumping back out and rushing around his room to grab clothes. He'd thought of laying everything out the night before, but changed his mind. Of course, now he regretted it, because he couldn't find anything he needed.

"Shit! Shit!" He finally found his black pants and yanked them on, grabbing the first shirt his fingers touched before also yanking it on. He grimaced as he noticed it was orange, but he had no choice, now.

Rushing to the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water and a piece of raisin-bread, stuffing the bread into his mouth as he rushed to the door. He pushed his feet into shoes as he grabbed his keys and cell phone off the hall table and bolted from the house, barely remembering to lock the door behind himself.

This was Naruto's first day at work. Well, not really; he'd just been transferred. He'd been doing the same job since he'd graduated from high-school, which made it about five or six years now. He really couldn't remember how long it had been.

He loved his job, but he'd been upset that he'd been forced to transfer. Apparently, he was the only person people believed would be able to handle the transfer. He'd thought about throwing a fit until he heard he would get a pay raise. Pay raises were good.

He jumped into his car, throwing his bottle onto the seat beside himself and starting the engine while he slammed the door. He fastened himself in and backed out of his driveway before zooming down the street.

His raisin-bread was practically gone by this point, and he knew he'd be hungry later. He just hoped he could eat at work.

His cell phone rang and he reached into his pocket to grab it, putting it to his ear once he'd flipped it open.

"Yo."

"You woke up late, didn't you?" Neji Hyuuga's voice teased down the line.

"Fuck you, Hyuuga, I thought you said you were going to call me!" Naruto exclaimed angrily as he turned a corner.

"I did call you. How else would I be talking to you?" the twenty-six year old man demanded, obviously pleased with himself.

"You just want me to be late so they think I'm unreliable, which will make them send me back!"

"I most assuredly do _not_ want that." the Hyuuga insisted, even though they both knew he did.

He was going to miss Naruto. Sure, he and the blond could still hang out on occasion, but it wouldn't be the same. He wouldn't be able to go to Naruto's house after a hard day and just relax. Naruto wouldn't con him into going out drinking and then end up passed on out Neji's couch—okay, that would probably still happen, but not as often.

The Hyuuga sighed before he spoke again. "I wish you'd turned it down, Naruto."

"Me, too, Neji." Naruto admitted. "Trust me, I hate this as much as you do, but I need the extra money."

"I can lend—"

"No!" Naruto exclaimed, a hint of anger in his tone. "I _told_ you, Neji, I'm _not_ bumming money off you!"

"At least consider becoming my roommate, then!" Neji insisted, anger creeping into his own voice. "You won't have to pay so much money!"

"I can't—you know I can't leave that house." Naruto whispered, stopping at a red light. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before Neji sighed.

"I know, Naruto. I'm sorry. But—if you need money, or if you'd rather I move in with you, you know you can call me, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Neji."

"I better let you go, the captain's coming."

"Yeah, I'm almost at the station, myself. I'll talk to you later."

The blonde closed his cell phone and threw it onto the seat beside him before turning smoothly into the parking lot located at the back of the firehouse before him. He parked and then exited his car, his cell phone and bottle of water in hand.

"Well, Station Seven," Naruto said to the firehouse before him, "meet Naruto Uzumaki, former firefighter of Station Twelve."

* * *

Naruto pushed open the door that led from the bay into the main room of Station Seven, looking around the large area. He could see no one there at the moment, and he let out a sigh. He obviously wasn't as late as he'd thought he was.

The Engine and Truck in the bay were gone, as was the Medic Ambulance (1), but a glance at his watch as he'd walked through the large garage informed him that he still had ten minutes before the shift change. That meant the previous shift had been the ones to leave with the three vehicles.

Naruto walked across the room, surveying a large floor-to-ceiling map that had an entire section coloured in. This was probably his new district, and he made a mental note to try and remember to check out where it started and ended. He knew this city like the back of his hand, but he knew he would probably get confused for the first few weeks between Station Seven's district, and Station Twelve's. Thank God he wasn't the driver.

He turned back around to examine the room. It looked the same as Station Twelve's, and he was a bit disappointed. He'd never entered another firehouse before, so he'd always assumed they were different in some way, shape or form. This disproved his suspicions and he sighed.

It had the same three refrigerators across the room—one for each shift—and a table with a few chairs. Across the room sat two couches and a television, probably for slow days, or when they were waiting for their next call.

Naruto's head snapped up as the speaker let out a squeal before a voice rang out.

"_We have a General Alarm. All units are 10-08 (2). Section 12c, 2486 West Fourth Avenue. Reported structure fire. All units are 10-08. General Alarm, section 12c."_

"Looks like Neji's morning is already starting." Naruto murmured aloud. He missed the long-haired, gray-eyed man already.

He knew Neji wouldn't be on shift yet, he had ten more minutes, but the previous shift would still be at the fire by the time his shift started, so chances were he'd end up going out to meet them and relieve them.

The blond sighed again as he thought of all his friends at Engine Twelve. He just hoped he would fit in as well here as he did there.

"Who the hell are you?"

Naruto spun around startled and came face to face with a chest. He slowly looked up to see what else there was, cursing for the fifty thousandth time in his life that he was so damn short.

The first thought that ran through Naruto's mind was: _tall_. The second thought that ran through his mind was: _big_. And the third and final thought, was: _fucking scary, what the hell was I **thinking **transferring here?.!_

"Well?" The gruff voice belonging to the amazingly huge and terrifying man made Naruto shrink back.

"Scaring off the newbies _again_, Zabuza?" Another man smirked as he entered the room and walked by the two of them. "It's no wonder no one wants to transfer here."

"Mind your own damn business, Hagane, this guy is trespassing. This isn't a school field trip, runt. What are you doing here?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he felt anger boiling in his stomach. Being short, okay, that he could handle. Not his fault. But when people started mistaking him for a high schooler, _that_ was when he got angry.

"I'm not a runt, you stupid moron! I'm twenty-five years old! I got transferred here from Station Twelve because they said you were lacking! This is the thanks I get for transferring away from my friends out of the goodness of my big, fat bleeding heart?.!"

A door near the back that obviously led to the bunk room slammed open, forcing both Zabuza and Naruto to look away from each other to see who it was.

"NEWBIE!" a man hollered, both fists raised in the air. He bolted for Naruto, grabbing his arm. "Don't let Zabuza scare you off, we haven't had a newbie in years! I've run out of hot guys to bone cause I've done them all. Well, except Uchiha, but I don't think he'd let anyone bone him. He has too much fun with his right hand. Or maybe his left, I never thought to ask."

Naruto just stared as the man before him continued to babble, pulling him away from the other man, apparently named Zabuza. _This guy is taking too many pills—or not enough,_ Naruto thought worriedly as the man continued talking. He talked more than Naruto did, and the blond had never met anyone that talented before.

"For Christ's sake, Shiranui, cut it out!" Naruto felt someone grab his other arm and he was wrenched towards this new person, turning to see yet another man. This one had a burn mark across his face and his eyes were glaring at the man who'd been blabbering away at Naruto. "Zabuza isn't the only reason we keep losing newbies. Kurenai left because you drove her insane."

"Is it _my_ fault she was the first female in this firehouse since I got here?"

"And you succeeded in chasing her away."

"So what, I like you guys better, anyway." He grinned at the scarred man, who sighed.

"You're impossible."

_What did I do to deserve this?_ Naruto wondered as he looked at the four men currently standing in the main room. _I definitely did something to deserve this._

* * *

Sasuke climbed out of Kiba's car, noticing another car he'd never seen before in the parking lot. That meant the new guy was already there.

Kiba gave a low whistle as he walked towards the station with Sasuke. "I feel bad for the new guy. Based on the cars already here, he's in there with Genma and Zabuza."

"Raidou and Kotetsu will keep them in line." Sasuke insisted. "Where's Akamaru?"

"Izumo's bringing him over." Kiba replied.

Kiba wasn't a firefighter like Sasuke. He was a part of the RIT team (3) with Izumo Kamizuki. They used Kiba's dog, Akamaru, to help locate traces of people around the building who might need help. They couldn't send the dog inside, that was dangerous, but they themselves were required to enter the building on occasion if their help was needed.

"Good morning." The two looked to the left as they heard the voice and both nodded to their captain.

"Good morning, captain." Sasuke replied as he opened the door that led from the bay into the rest area.

"He's _mine_!" was the first thing Sasuke heard upon entering the main room.

"He isn't some toy you can play with, dammit!" Raidou hollered angrily.

"He's still mine!"

"Can you guys _please_ let me go?.!"

The three men at the door walked further into the room to see Raidou and Genma playing tug-of-war with a blond man, Zabuza and Kotetsu watching dispassionately as the latter drank some coffee.

"What's going on?" Kakashi asked as he tucked his hands in his pockets and stepped towards the other men. All turned to look at him, Raidou and Genma immediately letting Naruto go. The blond hastily backed away from them, terrified they'd try and grab him again and rip his arms out of their sockets.

"Captain Hatake!" Genma squeaked.

"Scaring off the newbie already?" Kiba laughed as he walked towards Naruto. The blond shied away but Kiba just threw a friendly arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry, dude. Genma is just insane. The rest of us are normal. Zabuza's scary as all hell and Sasuke is always grouchy, but you'll learn to deal."

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, wanting to identify this grouchy guy immediately so he could stay away from him.

The dog-lover motioned towards the door where Sasuke was standing with his arms crossed. At the same moment, Sasuke turned to look at the blond.

The second their eyes met, they knew. Naruto and Sasuke knew. The firemen in the room with them knew. Heck, everyone within a 20km radius knew. These two—were _not_ going to like each other.

* * *

"So, this is the bunk-room." Kiba said as he motioned the room they walked into. "I'm sure you know the details regarding bunk-rooms."

"I'm a transfer, not a rookie." Naruto insisted, crossing his arms annoyed. Everyone was treating him like a damn rookie, and he wasn't. He knew he was short and had a babyish face, but he was twenty-five, dammit!

"Sure. Anyway, bunk against the far wall is yours, get yourself a locker—just find an empty one and slap a lock on it. Bathroom is through the door on the right there, and you're probably going to be scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets since you're new to the team. Any questions?"

"Do I have to be at the back of the room?" Naruto asked, wincing.

"Huh?" Kiba frowned, confused.

"I have a problem with—just, can I be beside the door, please?" Kiba shrugged.

"Sure, you can switch with me. I'm the one there." He motioned the bunk one away from the door. "Is that cool?"

"Yeah, thanks a lot. Whose bunk is that?" Naruto motioned the one beside the door, on the opposite side of him.

"Sasuke's." Naruto winced.

"Wonderful."

"Hey, newbie!" Both men turned to the door as they heard Kakashi yelling.

The two walked back into the main room as a few men covered in soot and wearing their bunkers walked by, talking to one another.

"Looks like previous shift just got back, and now we're up." Kiba hit Naruto in the shoulder, smirking.

"We haven't gotten a call yet." Naruto insisted as he walked up to Kakashi.

"I just thought I should introduce the team, since you'll be working here."

"For now, anyway." Kiba snickered. "Don't get scared away."

Naruto shoved Kiba, a smirk on his face. Five minutes with the guy, and he liked him already. Neji would be jealous. It took him ten minutes to like Neji. Then again, he'd met Neji in grade two—Neji had been in grade three.

"All right, men, round up." Kakashi clapped his hands as he fell into one of the chairs around the table. Doors opened and the new shift emerged, the old shift showering. They all stood around the table, some sitting in the free chairs. Naruto noticed there were a lot more now then there had been a few minutes ago.

"Right, so, let's go around."

"It's like high school all over again." Kiba teased. Naruto smirked.

"Thanks for the input, Kiba. You first." The brunette scoffed, running his hand through his hair.

"Kiba Inuzuka, I'm on the RIT team. I ride with Engine Seven."

"Kakashi Hatake, Captain."

"Genma Shiranui, hottest firefighter in the station." He wrapped his arm around Naruto and handed him a slip of paper. "Gimme a call, hottie."

"Raidou Namiashi." Raidou said as he pulled Genma off Naruto. "Genma's babysitter."

"_And_ boyfriend." Genma insisted with a pout.

"Only when you behave."

"But you _like_ me bad."

"Enough!" Kiba slapped his hands over his ears. "I can't stand much more gay-talk!"

"I'm Kotetsu Hagane." Naruto noted he was the man who had and hadn't saved him from Zabuza.

"You know me." Naruto looked at the person who said this and his eyes widened.

"Gaara!" The blond launched himself across the table, hugging the redhead tightly. "Man, I haven't seen you in _ages_! You've been avoiding my calls, haven't you?"

Gaara Sabaku merely shrugged, a hint of a smile on his lips. The others almost died at the sight of the somewhat smile.

"I'm the driver for Engine Seven."

"Fuck, _I_ could've guessed that. You're insane behind the wheel. If we need to get somewhere fast, you're the only man for the job." Naruto slapped him on the back a few times, laughing.

"I'm Zabuza Momochi, Truck Ten's driver. Sorry I thought you were a kid." Naruto looked at the man who'd cornered him when he first came in, and winced. The man had filed his teeth down into points. He needed _serious_ therapy.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto turned to him and the two began to glare at each other. Naruto didn't know why, but he _severely_ disliked this man.

"I'm Izumo Kamizuki. I'm on the RIT team with Kiba. The dog outside is Akamaru."

"Don't mind Akamaru if he jumps on you. He likes people." Kiba told him. Naruto just nodded as the introductions moved along.

"My name is Hayate Gekkou." a sickly man said before coughing. "I'm one of the paramedics with Medic Eight."

Naruto frowned at the man. He looked about ready to keel over and die, and he was a _paramedic_?

"Am I to assume Medic Eight and Truck Ten are ours, along with Engine Seven?" Naruto inquired.

"Yup." Kiba replied. "Hayate here has three buddies, but they're probably out checking Medic Eight. They're Tenten Tamura, Ebisu Suzuki and Aoba Yamashiro."

"We also have two A.I's (4) who like to come around on occasion." Kotetsu offered. "Iruka Umino and Shikamaru Nara."

"You'll be riding in Engine Seven with Sasuke, Kiba, Gaara and I." Kakashi informed Naruto. The blond and Sasuke glared at one another. "Truck Ten is occupied by Zabuza, Kotetsu, Genma, Raidou and Izumo. Were you on a Truck or an Engine at your previous Station?"

"I was on the Engine, but Truck is fine, too." Naruto informed.

"We'll keep you on Engine. Well, that's everyone." Kakashi said, looking around.

"Except _him_." Kiba motioned Naruto.

The blond blushed as all sets of eyes locked on him. "Naruto. I'm a transfer from Station Twelve."

"You got a last name?" Zabuza asked gruffly. Naruto winced, and then sighed.

"Naruto—Uzumaki."

All eyes widened, just as he knew they would. They always did when he said his last name.

Kakashi cleared his throat and was about to change the subject when the speaker let out a squeal.

"_We have a General Alarm. All units are 10-08. Section 7a, 1483 Riverview Terrace. Reported structure fire. All units are 10-08. General Alarm section 7a."_

"That's us people, let's move out!" Kakashi exclaimed. They all disappeared into the bay, jumping into bunker gear and pulling on their boots.

"Let's see how good you are, Uzumaki." Gaara said as he jumped into the front of the Engine, Naruto jumping in the back.

"Oh, I'm good enough to light your fire, Gaara—and put it out." The blond winked, and the Engine pulled out of the bay, its sirens blaring.

* * *

(1) Trucks and Engines are two different things. An Engine pumps water and carries a hose, whereas a Truck is one of the bigger rigs with the huge aerial ladders. They specialize in forced entry and rescue. Medics are basically like ambulances, except they take up residence at firehouses.

(2) 10-08: In service/available. It means you're free to take any calls/emergencies .

(3) A RIT team is "Rapid Intervention Team". I'm not sure why they have the word "team" at the end since it's included in the RIT, but don't blame me. Anyway, from what I gather, they're like Search and Rescue. Their job is to be ready to enter a building at any moment in time to rescue injured firefighters or victims. They also help the firefighters exiting get to the rehab station as quickly as possible. Rehab station is where they drink loads of water and basically cool off for a bit before going back inside. They go inside in groups so one group rests while the other is inside.

(4) Arson Investigators.


	2. The Fan

**A/N: So, that didn't take too long, did it? Nine days... Ten, tops. Sorry you guys have to wait for this one :sweatdrop: I'll try and speed it up...**

**Disclaimer: Kiba argued with K. Masashi for close to an hour, but the man _still_ wouldn't admit that I own Kiba. **

**FYI: Everything in bold is when they're talking over their radios. **

* * *

"Woo, that was a waste of time." Kotetsu exclaimed as he took off his helmet, jumping out of Truck Ten. "I hate it when old women see a spark and scream 'fire'." 

"Kind of like the boy who cried 'wolf', huh?" Izumo asked as he jumped out after Kotetsu, slamming the door to the Truck.

"Yeah, something like that." The other firefighter grinned.

"Come on, guys, get out of your gear." Kakashi called as he slammed the passenger side door of Engine Seven. "Calm down and get the adrenaline out of your system so we're ready for our next call." The speaker clicked.

"Speaking of our next call." Genma smirked as they waited.

A call came in for Station Twelve and Fourteen and Naruto almost yelled at the others to hurry up until he remembered he was in Station Seven.

"Man, this is gonna take some getting used to." Naruto grumbled as he climbed out of the Engine.

"Took me a while, too." Kiba admitted as he followed him out. "I was a transfer from Four. Of course, when I got here, Genma and Raidou were still over in Sixteen. 'Course, the bastards found out I was coming here and decided to make my life a living hell."

"Heard that, Inuzuka!" Genma hollered.

"Bite me, Shiranui."

"Gladly."

"Sick, man!" Kiba made a face.

"You knew Genma and Raidou before this?" Naruto asked as he shrugged off his coat.

"Oh yeah. Family friends. The parents have them over every Christmas for dinner." Kiba frowned in thought. "Come to think of it, Genma always eats all the mashed potatoes."

"I do not!"

"Stop eavesdropping, asshole!" Kiba hollered angrily. "I swear, you can never have a private conversation with that man close-by."

Naruto just smirked as the two of them entered the main room. Most of the guys had settled in front of the television, Sasuke and Kakashi sitting at the table reading. Sasuke had a newspaper and Kakashi had an orange novel in hand that Naruto recognized only too well.

"Icha Icha Paradise, huh?" Kakashi looked up at him. "I know the author. My dad was good friends with him."

Naruto almost flew off his feet because Kakashi had grabbed the front of his shirt, his hands shaking.

"Yo-you _know_ the famous Jiraiya Sannin?.!" he asked incredulously.

"Uh, yeah. He raised me. And if you had half a brain, you'd have noticed that the Battalion Chief for this sector is named Tsunade Sannin, and also happens to be the old pervert's sister."

Kakashi almost fainted and Kiba managed to push a chair under his ass before the Captain fell to the ground. Kiba laughed, shaking his head before wrapping a friendly arm around Naruto's shoulder and leading him towards the bunk-room.

Kiba fell down on his new bed and let out a groan. "Man, sometimes I hate this job." Naruto sat down on his own bed, staring down at his hands as he picked at the skin around his thumb. "So, you're an Uzumaki." Naruto looked up before sighing and nodding.

"Yeah. The last one."

"Hm. Sorry."

"Not your fault." Naruto insisted. "Wasn't really anybody's fault."

"That, my friend, is where you are wrong." Naruto looked up at Kiba, confused. "It was the fire's fault, and we both know it. Man, that bitch is _alive_. It knows where you're going and what you're doing to put it out, and it'll do everything in its power to stop you. It's what it did to your dad, but he overcame it for a short time and managed to get you out of the house."

"Yeah." Naruto smiled bitterly. "Too bad he couldn't do the same for himself or my mom."

"Man, Naruto." (1) Kiba sighed and sat up. "I didn't know your dad, so I won't pretend I did, but that man was a wicked firefighter. He was the most well-known firefighter in the country, and I'm not just saying that. He was fucking _good_. Everyone knew about him."

"Yeah. And that's why everyone knows about me." Naruto spat angrily. "Oh, poor little orphan child, his parents died in a fire. Too bad for him. Isn't it weird his dad was a firefighter and he died? It's a shame only Naruto lived. Blah, blah, blah." The blond stood up and began to pace. "The press used me like some kind of child trophy or something." Naruto waved his hands about slightly. "The kid of the famous firefighter survives awful fire that claims dad's life. What a story! Fuck, I was _six_!" Naruto rounded on Kiba. "I was six fucking years old when I was told I'd never see my parents again! People used my life as a huge story! My parents _died_ in the house I currently live in, and I _still_ get people from the press hounding me. Did the entire camera crew of channel three come to _your_ graduation from the fire academy, cause they sure fucking came to mine!"

The door suddenly opened and Naruto turned to see Gaara in the doorway. He calmly walked into the room, closing the door behind him, and sat down on Naruto's bed. The blond sighed, rubbing his hands over his face before turning back to Kiba.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to explode like that."

"It's cool, man." Kiba insisted. "Seems like you needed to get that off your chest for a while." Naruto laughed slightly.

"Yeah."

"Are you all right, Uzumaki?" Naruto looked at Gaara.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine man. It's cool." He held out his fist and Gaara hit it lightly with his own. "I'm cool."

"Do I need to call Hyuuga?"

"Nah, man. Leave Neji alone. He's on a call right now, remember? Station Twelve." Gaara nodded.

"If you need me, you know I'm here."

"Hey, man, I'm here, too." Kiba raised his hand, catching both men's attention. "I like you, I'm willing to put up with some yelling if it'll make you feel better."

Naruto laughed, shaking his head. "You rock, Kiba. I'm gonna have to buy you a beer."

"Sold." Kiba grinned. "My friend, you just sealed our friendship."

"Never utter the word 'beer' and 'free' to Kiba in the same sentence." Gaara stated calmly. "You'll regret it."

"You can come, too, Raccoon-Eyes." Naruto teased, using the nickname he'd given Gaara back in high school.

"Only if you pay, Fox-Face." Gaara countered.

* * *

"Come on, guys, let's move it!" Kakashi hollered as he jumped out of Engine Seven, rushing towards the large building before them. It was engulfed in flames, acrid black smoke emitting from the building. Fire had long since broken all the windows and the glass crunched under the firefighter's feet as they ran towards the building. There were already three Engines and a Telesquirt (2) at the scene (3), which meant the Battalion Chief (4) was already present and giving out orders. 

Engine Seven's team got their Scott Packs (5) in place, getting ready to enter the scene. Naruto checked to ensure he had a full tank of air, which would allow him approximately half an hour of air. They all checked that their radios were working before Kakashi waved them over and told them where they were headed. They were told not to go in too far in case the top floors collapsed, but they wanted to try and get the fire out on the first floor. The Captain would stay outside and watch the panel to check on water levels.

"Rookie, get the hose." Sasuke called to him.

"I'm not a fucking rookie!" Naruto hollered, the hose already on his shoulder as he jogged towards the burning building, letting loop by loop fall to the ground. He reached the door and Sasuke took the end of the hose from him.

"Moron." Sasuke breathed.

"Bastard!" Naruto hollered.

"Is this _really_ the time?.!" Kiba demanded as he clicked his regulator into place and followed Sasuke inside, getting on his hands and knees. Naruto grumbled under his breath as he did the same, grabbing the hose with one hand to follow it through the smoke.

More than once, the blond reached out and grabbed Kiba's foot to gauge how close he was to the brunette. As the air rushed past his face, Naruto forced himself to breathe in the stale air. One thing he hated about the Scott packs was how it felt like you were breathing recycled air, which technically, you were.

Breathing from a Scott pack was harder than regular breathing. When you breathed normally, all you had to do was inhale and exhale as you pleased. With a Scott pack, there was always a pause before the air came to you, almost as if the tank was asking if you were sure you wanted to take a breath. The resistance the air gave always annoyed Naruto.

When the air came, it wasn't there to use as one pleased, it was _forced_ to be used. The regulator was almost breathing for him as opposed to Naruto breathing calmly by himself. The first time Naruto had put on a Scott pack and gone into a real fire, he'd felt like he would suffocate because he didn't have control of when the air would come and allow him to breathe.

Naruto's head bumped into Kiba and he realized the other man had stopped. Sasuke was now crouched down, the hose in hand. Kiba leaned into the raven, giving him support while Naruto raised the hose in his hands.

"**Charge the line (6)."** Naruto heard Sasuke say over his radio above the roar of the fire.

Naruto braced himself against Kiba to help give the other man more support when the hose was opened. The second he did, Kiba jerked back into him slightly, a spray of water emitting from the nozzle Sasuke held in his hands.

Naruto felt his heart-rate increasing as adrenaline pumped through his body. He loved the rush of the job, even though he knew it was dangerous. Fire had always fascinated him, and in a way, he'd always felt guilty about it since his parents died. It was normal for him to feel guilty for liking fire so much.

Sasuke aimed the stream of water at the ceiling closest to them, trying to force the fire back into a corner. Water was instantly turned to steam as the temperature of the fire met with the water. The room suddenly felt a thousand degrees hotter to Naruto.

Their radios all crackled before Kakashi's voice screamed into their ears. **"Wolfgang, we need you back out here. I'm sending Blade in."**

"**Roger that."** Kiba said.

Naruto was confused, but he let it slide as Kiba shifted behind him. Sasuke turned the hose off for a second as Kiba turned around and crawled past Naruto, the blond moving forward quickly to take his place. Naruto moulded to Sasuke's back, bracing himself as the raven opened the nozzle again, Sasuke bucking back into him. The blond shifted to better support his coworker from the back pressure. What felt like hours later, Naruto felt someone leaning against him to help relieve the pressure, and Naruto didn't have to turn to know it was Zabuza. The size alone alerted him.

As the three of them made their way forward, chasing the fire back into a corner, Naruto caught a glimpse of the back of Sasuke's jacket. He'd noticed something at the back of Kakashi's during their earlier call, but had thought nothing of it. Now that he was literally millimetres away from the other man's jacket, he realized it was writing. He squinted in the darkness to read what it said, noting it was a word. Death.

_Well, how nice,_ Naruto thought bitterly. _This guy needs to get out more. _

Suddenly, Naruto's mask began to vibrate again his face and he checked his air. He was running low. He had five minutes, tops. And just as he checked his air, he fell forward onto Sasuke, who'd turned off the hose because he, too, was running out of air.

"**Blade, the rookie and I are running out of air."**

_I'm not a fucking rookie!_ Naruto thought angrily.

"**Roger that, Death. Turn off the hose. Scarecrow, you read?"**

"**I'm sending in Arrow and Scarface." **Kakashi's voice crackled down the line. **"Death, you and the rookie come back out. Blade, stay where you are until the others come. Come out when they're set up. You've got more air, enough time to hose down a bit more."**

"**Roger that." **

"**Can you handle the hose alone?"** Naruto asked Zabuza, concerned. In Station Twelve, they'd _never_ left one man inside by himself.

"**Don't worry about me. Go get some air before you run out."** Zabuza patted Naruto's shoulder. The blond hesitated but Sasuke hit him from behind as the raven turned around.

"**Let's go, dumbass."**

"**Bite me!"** Naruto snapped back over his radio as he turned as well, one hand on the hose.

He and Sasuke made their way back towards the door as their masks began to beep, warning them they had less than two minutes of air left. Naruto always hated the last five minutes with a Scott pack, because it always felt like the air wasn't coming out as easily as before, and considering it was already hard enough at the beginning, the end was just awful. Also, when they entered the building, the air had been somewhat cool and refreshing. Now, it was just like walking outside on a hot summer day. The air in his mask was making Naruto sweat more than the fire was.

As they crawled, they bumped into Genma and Raidou, the former saluting them as he continued merrily on his way towards the nozzle. Naruto had the feeling Genma was crazy.

Naruto didn't even know they'd approached the door until the gloom disappeared and he could see light through his fogged-up mask. He got to the door and felt someone hauling him to his feet, pulling off his helmet and mask before leading him out of the way so someone else could help Sasuke.

The blond shook his head, sweat flying around as he breathed in a lungful of clean air. He let it out slowly as he closed his eyes, facing up towards the sky. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again and turned to look up at the burning building. The top floors had been put out, and it seemed the only fire left now was the one inside. That would be gone soon, too.

"Good job, guys." Kakashi appeared beside them. "Head over to Rehab (7)."

"I have a complaint before I do." Naruto said as he breathed in another lungful of air.

"What's that, dumbass?" Sasuke grumbled. Naruto turned to glare at him.

"First, I'm not a dumbass, asshole. Second," he turned to Kakashi, "I'm not a fucking rookie! I don't mind newbie, but rookie pisses me the fuck off!"

"Then don't act like one." Sasuke smirked as he headed towards Engine Seven to get something to drink.

"What the fuck is that guy's problem?.!" Naruto exploded, motioning Sasuke.

"Ignore him, he's just grouchy." Kakashi insisted. "Go cool off. Hopefully, we'll be done soon." Kakashi turned back to the building and Naruto stalked off after Sasuke, grumbling under his breath.

"Yo, man!" Kiba appeared beside Naruto, wrapping one arm around the blond's shoulders. "How was your first scorcher with Engine Seven? Pretty sweet, huh? Better than Twelve, huh?" He grinned toothily at Naruto.

"At least everyone on Twelve isn't an _asshole_!" Naruto said, not bothering to be quieter about it as they reached Engine Seven. Sasuke was leaning against it, staring at the building with a cup in his hand. He'd removed his Nomex hood and coat, the latter hanging on the handle of Engine Seven's driver-side door.

Naruto grabbed one of the cups and filled it with water, downing it before refilling it. He drank his second cup before putting it down and shrugging out of his coat, pulling his own Nomex hood off and running the back of his hand across his forehead.

"So, what's with the names?" Naruto asked as he refilled his cup and leaned back against the Engine as well—far away from Sasuke.

"It was Kakashi's idea." Kiba shrugged. "We gave them to each other. You're not allowed to choose your own. If you stay, man, we'll get you one." Kiba grinned at him.

"Why, though? Why bother with the nicknames?"

"In the heat of the moment, your brain can blank sometimes." Kiba shrugged as he leaned back beside Naruto, standing on the side Sasuke was, effectively separating the two of them. "Having codenames is just an easier way to talk to people, I guess." Kiba shrugged. "When we're working with another Engine, we'll try to stick to our real names, but when we're all located in one area and not mixing and matching firefighters, we'll stick with the codenames. I find I can blurt out everyone's codename faster than their _real_ name." He grinned at Naruto, running his hand through his brown hair. It had darkened with his sweat, and Naruto was sure his didn't look any better.

"I guess. So, you're Wolfgang, then?"

"Yup." Kiba crossed his arms as he stared at the building, Genma and Raidou emerging from within, the perverted firefighter hollering something about 'taming the beast'. "Zabuza is Blade, Kakashi is Scarecrow, and Sasuke is—"

"Death. I saw." Naruto interrupted. "Kind of gloomy."

"He's a gloomy guy." Kiba shrugged. "I'm sure you can guess Raidou's and Genma's. I heard them being called over the radio."

"Yeah. Arrow and Scarface."

"Yeah. Gaara's Sandman, Izumo is Godd, and Kotetsu is Magna."

"So, how did these names come about?"

"Well, most of them are obvious. Kakashi's got the scar." He nodded his head in their captain's direction, Naruto turning to see the older man talking with the Batt Chief, who happened to be Tsunade Sannin, someone who'd raised Naruto. "We associated it with a scarecrow's eyes, thus the name. Gaara I'm sure you know."

"Guy loves making sandcastles." Naruto grinned. "We used to go to the beach every summer to make them. I heard from his sister he still does it."

"Yup. Drags some of us out sometimes. Now that you mention it, he _did_ always complain that we weren't as much fun as one of his old friends." Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, that'd be me. He hasn't asked me to go with him for a few years, now. I think he figured I didn't like spending time with him. I might have to remind him he _is_ one of my best friends." Naruto grinned at Kiba, who grinned back.

"Anyway, moving on." Kiba motioned Sasuke. "He's Death, mostly because he wanted to be. He insists he brings death upon everyone who gets close to him." Kiba grinned at the blond. "I'm not dead yet. Every time I remind him, he says he wishes I was."

"That's kind of harsh considering our line of work." Naruto scowled in disapproval.

"Nah, I know he doesn't mean it. The guy's a bastard, but he ain't heartless."

"What about you?"

"Me? I'm Wolfgang, mostly because I love wolves. I have a bunch of dogs, and they look like wolves themselves. They didn't want to call me 'werewolf' cause it was too cliche, so they decided on Wolfgang. As for Izumo, he's Godd 'cause his last name has the word 'Kami' in it. Kami is basically God in Japanese. He didn't want to offend the big guy, though, so he added another 'd' to it."

"Is he Japanese?" Naruto inquired as he looked over at the RIT team individual.

"Half. So's Kotetsu. S'why his name is Magna. We were gonna call him Magnesium, but it was too long. Hagane means 'metal' in Japanese."

"Oh, cool." Naruto looked at Kotetsu before turning back to Kiba. "Raidou's is obvious, but what about Genma and Zabuza?"

"Well, for Genma, it's was actually a mistake." Kiba laughed as he recalled the event. "Kotetsu and Izumo were teasing him about being 'ero' which means something akin to 'perverted' in Japanese. He mistook them for saying 'arrow' and put it on his coat before we could stop him. He likes it, mostly because of his," Kiba coughed, "anatomy." Naruto laughed, shaking his head.

"And Zabuza?"

"Just wait until we eat." Kiba shuddered. "The man's got the most wicked knives you've _ever_ seen. I almost wet myself every time I see them. Don't ever piss him off, cause I'm sure he's got those sharp teeth for a reason, man."

Naruto paled as he imagined Zabuza cutting him into pieces and feasting on his flesh like some kind of cannibal.

"Yo." Naruto screamed before turning to look at Kakashi, the Captain cocking a confused eyebrow. "What did you say, Kiba?"

The other man was too busy laughing to reply, only remaining standing because he was holding onto the Engine with one hand, the other wrapped around his middle. Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"Come on, let's get you all back inside. Time to earn your paychecks."

"Aw, man! Do I have to do overhaul (8)?" Kiba demanded. "Why can't Izumo and Kotetsu do it? They didn't even go in!"

"Shut up and do it." Sasuke snapped as he brushed past Kiba and Naruto, his coat back on.

"Screw you, Uchiha!" Kiba hollered.

"Time and place, Kiba. Time and place."

"Gross, man!"

* * *

Iruka Umino and Shikamaru Nara wandered into the building, looking around at all the firefighters still tearing down walls. 

"Iruka." The older Arson Investigator turned, and smiled.

"Captain Hatake. Good to see you again."

"Please." Kakashi sighed. "You've known me for years. It's _Kakashi_."

Iruka smiled. "I'm fine with calling you Captain Hatake. What have we got?"

The Captain let out a small sigh as he pushed his helmet further up on his forehead, looking around at his men. "It was a real scorcher. It was out of control, but the building was said to be empty, so we're not looking at any casualties."

"That's good. Any theories on how it started? Arson, perhaps?"

"Isn't that your job?" Kakashi grinned at Iruka, the other man blushing.

"Well, yes, but—"

"Iruka!" The two men turned as Shikamaru called out to his superior, standing in a corner and motioning the floor. "I found traces here. It looks like—" The other man paled. "Shit! It's The Fan!"

Heads whipped around as they heard this and Kakashi had his radio in his hand instantly.

"Everyone out of the building! The arsonist behind this fire was The Fan! Everyone out of the building, now!" The Captain was already rushing towards the exit as he spoke, Iruka right behind him.

Firefighters were running from the building, some of them confused, others terrified. Not everyone was up-to-date with all the arsonists in the world, but the most famous one currently was known as 'The Fan', thusly named due to his signature. Every time he started a fire, he left a burn mark that resembled a fan somewhere where it was sure to be seen if the fire was put out. And after the fire was out, he had a little surprise for everyone.

"Fucking Itachi." Sasuke growled as he bolted from the building, rushing towards Engine Seven. Gaara was already behind the wheel, starting it up.

"Come on, Kiba! Naruto! Let's go!" Kakashi hollered as he jumped into the passenger seat, the other two running towards the Engine. They'd been on a higher level.

The other Engines were already leaving, along with the Telesquirt and Truck Ten. Engine Seven was the only one left. Kakashi also noticed Iruka and Shikamaru peeling out in a silver Volvo.

Kiba and Naruto jumped into the Engine, Gaara peeling away from the building before they'd even closed the door.

"Faster. Faster!" Kiba exclaimed, hitting the back of Gaara's seat while looking behind himself at the building. "Faster, man!"

"Calm down!" Sasuke snapped angrily.

"What the hell's going on?" Naruto demanded. "Who's The Fan?"

"Itachi Uchiha." Kakashi stated. Naruto cast a glance at Sasuke, but the raven just continued to stare out the window at the building. "He's one of the worst arsonists alive."

"Why? Besides starting fires, what does he do?"

The second the words left his mouth, the building they'd just been in exploded, Engine Seven rocking slightly from the shockwave caused by the blast.

"He kills firefighters." Kakashi answered Naruto.

* * *

"_Man_, what a fire." Kiba groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck, his helmet in his hand as he walked through the main room of Station Seven. "First we put out the fire, then we overhaul, then we put out _another_ fire that we'd _just_ finished putting out. I swear, Uchiha, your brother's got it in for us." 

"Obviously." Sasuke snapped angrily, storming past Kiba to head to the bunk-room and a much-needed shower.

"Whew." Naruto grinned as he pulled off his coat and draped it across the back of one of the chairs. "That was some fire. Never got scorchers like that back at Twelve."

"The Fan doesn't hit any other districts." Kotetsu informed as he sat down at the table.

"How come?"

"He only wants to kill one _specific_ firefighter." Zabuza stated.

"Who?"

"Sasuke." Kakashi said as he walked up to the table and sat down, a cup of coffee in-hand.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Why the fuck is he a firefighter, then? Isn't he just endangering people?"

"No." Kakashi stated simply. "I've known Sasuke since he was a kid. He grew up with me, actually. My parents were his guardian after his own parents died." The Captain took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "His brother was burning places down left, right and center back then, too. It's why Sasuke decided to become a firefighter, and when he found out _I_ made it, he knew it would be a piece of cake for him." Kakashi smirked. "Even if he failed the exam four times, and I only failed it once."

Naruto burst out laughing. "Four times?.!" He continued to laugh.

"What, you're saying you never failed it?" Kiba asked with a frown, having failed the exam six times, himself.

"No, I never said that. I failed it nine or ten times, myself. It's just—fuck, he acts so _perfect_, and he _failed_ the exam _four_ times!" Naruto continued to laugh.

"_Anyway_," Kakashi said loudly to be heard over Naruto, "Sasuke joined to stop his brother. When Itachi found out, he decided to target Sasuke. No more Sasuke, no more Uchihas."

"Yeah, I guess." Naruto shrugged. "Anyway, I smell like fire. I'm gonna go shower."

"Uh, I wouldn't if I were you." Kiba informed as the blond headed for the bunk-room.

"Why not?" he asked, looking around. Now that he was actually paying attention, he noticed that no one had gone to shower yet other than Sasuke, Gaara, Genma and Raidou.

"Genma's showering. No one showers when he's in there other than Gaara, Sasuke and Raidou. Genma won't mess with Gaara and Sasuke 'cause he knows they'll kill him, and Raidou is his lover, so it doesn't matter so much if he gets molested." Kiba explained with a shrug.

"You can go on ahead if you want." Kotetsu shot in. "No one will stop you. We just don't advise it."

"I'll be fine." Naruto insisted as he entered the bunk-room.

"Don't say we didn't warn you!" Kotetsu called after him.

The blond ignored him as he proceeded to strip, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist as he entered the bathroom. He dropped his towel on the bench as he passed it before walking into the communal showers.

Genma and Raidou were occupying two showers on the right. Gaara was on the left and Sasuke was at the far wall. Naruto walked over beside Gaara, nodding to his friend as he turned on the shower and let warm water run down his back.

"Oh, this feels good." Naruto breathed.

"You're brave." Gaara said as he washed his hair. Naruto turned to him, cocking an eyebrow in inquiry. "Coming in here with Genma."

"Everyone's saying that." Naruto grinned. "I'll be _fine_."

Sasuke turned upon hearing the blond's voice. He was standing next to Gaara on Sasuke's side, so the Uchiha could see him perfectly. He frowned, slightly irritated when he noticed the blond was tanned all over. When he'd first met him, he'd assumed it was just a suntan, but now that he saw the other man naked, it was clear his skin was naturally dark. The Uchiha was jealous as he looked at his own body, noting how white he looked.

Other things about Naruto bothered him, too. The fact that he had bright blond hair and gorgeous blue eyes just pissed him off. Sasuke hated his black hair and black eyes, and he felt like Naruto was shoving it in his face that he was a blond. _And a **natural **blond at that,_ Sasuke thought bitterly before turning away. _Well-endowed, too!_

He grumbled under his breath as he continued to wash himself, continuously casting glances at Naruto. He was tanned, blond, well-endowed—and he was buff. Sasuke himself prided his muscles. He felt he was strong, and was only second to probably Zabuza and Kakashi. Now, Naruto easily outdid him, and it pissed Sasuke off.

The raven suppressed a smirk as he noticed Genma sneaking towards the blond. _Serves him right, _Sasuke thought, turning back to face the wall.

Naruto never saw it coming. One second, he was washing his hair and chatting with Gaara, and the next, he was plastered against the wall with something poking him in the butt.

"I wonder how tight you are."

"Genma!" Raidou hollered. "Get the fuck off him!"

"What? Just one little thrust won't hurt!"

"Get the fuck off me!" Naruto hollered hysterically.

Gaara appeared beside Genma as the older man began to reach around Naruto's front. Gaara caught the wandering hand, causing Genma to look him in the eyes. The pervert shrank back at the intensity in the redhead's green eyes, pulling away from the blond and tugging his hand from Gaara's grip.

"Never do that again." Gaara said, his voice cold enough to chill Satan. "It'll be the last thing you ever do."

"S-sure, Gaara." Genma laughed nervously as Raidou grabbed his arm and wrenched him back to his own shower.

For his own part, Naruto rushed out of the showers, almost slipping as he went, and grabbed his towel. He wrapped it around his waist and rushed out of the bathroom and through the bunk-room.

All heads turned towards the door as a flustered Naruto exited, clad in nothing more than a short white towel. He sat down at the table, dripping water onto it and leaving a small puddle on the floor.

"I'll wait."

The others all burst out laughing and began to tease him, telling him they'd warned him but he hadn't listened. He just began to turn red, burying his face in his arms while he waited for the pervert to leave the showers.

All their heads snapped up and towards the speaker as a call came in for their district. An automatic alarm (9) at one of the office buildings in their district.

"Guess the shower can wait." Naruto mumbled to himself as he rushed back to the bunk-room to grab some clothes. This was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

(1) Those of you who have read "Roommates" remember Kiba and his word "solid" and the way he always said "fuck". Well, in this fic, I've changed it to "Man".

(2) A Telesquirt is a combination of an Engine and a Truck. It has a hose, but its ladder is shorter than that of a Truck's. It's basically used to try and put out fires from the outside at higher levels if it's not possible for someone to get inside and start lessening the damage there.

(3) From the research I did, I found out that big fires generally call in five Engines and a Truck, but it varied depending on the place. I talked to a friend who said sometimes it's five Engines and two Trucks. Since this one's a scorcher, I'm going with a Telesquirt and a Truck, since we have to have Kakashi's team there :P

(4) The Battalion Chief is kind of like the man-in-charge. This is the person who directs who goes where and what Engines are needed where and so on and so forth. They're also generally the ones who will call for backup if it's needed.

(5) Someone I got references off of said that the Scott Company manufactures the most popular brands of Self Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA), the masks firefighters wear to help them breathe, and so they're usually just called Scott packs. I'll take her word for it, lol.

(6) Basically, "turn on the water, bitch, cause it's fuckin' hot in here!"

(7) Rehab is basically what happens after a firefighter comes out of a fire. They move away from the building and cool down and drink and stuff. It's kind of a way for them to cool off in case they're required to go back inside cause, really, it would suck if you came out, stayed hot, and then went back inside to die of heatstroke. Literally.

(8) Overhaul is basically when the firefighters rip out ceilings and walls to look for any fire they may have missed, or embers which may restart the fire while Arson Investigators are looking around.

(9) You should all know what an automatic alarm is. You have one in your house. It's those pesky fire alarms that'll ring at seven in the morning and wake you up for no apparent reason, causing you to leave the comfort of your bed and wait outside for a firetruck to come and tell you it was nothing. Can you tell I'm bitter about those damn things? They went off ALL the time in my dorm! Pissed the hell out of me. And how many of them were real fires? NONE! Most of the time when these go off, it's someone smoking or burned food, or even a malfunction. But there's also the times where it's a _real_ fire.


	3. Home

**Disclaimer: Apparently, my wanting Kiba is getting old, so you'll have to settle for boring disclaimers. I don't own them.**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. I'm trying, honest! **

* * *

Neji Hyuuga sat alone at a table in a bar, twirling the stir stick in his drink around in a circle. He watched the dark liquid—it was some kind of cocktail he had decided to try—and debated whether or not to finish it and order another. He didn't want to get drunk _just_ yet, since he was still alone. He had incredibly low tolerance. 

"Neji!" The Hyuuga lurched forward in his seat so violently he almost smashed his face into his glass. Naruto had practically tackled him from behind, and the blond was still holding him around the waist.

"You haven't seen me for twelve hours, and you're _this_ excited?" Neji smirked as the blond let him go and walked around the table, plopping down in one of the empty seats.

"Twelve hours is a long time." He pouted. "I'm used to waking up and having the pleasure of annoying you right when my day starts."

Neji rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop a smile from forming on his lips. Everyone at the station had missed Naruto. It was weird without the hyperactive blond running around all over the place, making weird jokes and singing songs at the top of his lungs when they didn't have any fires to tend to.

"The guys down at Twelve miss you."

"Yeah, I miss them, too. But guess who _I_ found at Station Seven?" Naruto grinned. Neji hated that grin. It promised trouble.

"Who?"

"Hyuuga." Neji turned and his eyes fixed on a tall redheaded man with dark-rimmed eyes. He recognized him immediately.

"Sabaku. It's been a while."

"It has." the redhead agreed as he took his seat in one of the two remaining chairs. "I've seen Uzumaki around a few times, but never you."

"Well, you and Naruto have always been on better terms."

"Better terms?" Naruto laughed as he swung one arm around Gaara's neck. "Me'n ol' Raccoon-Eyes have been best buddies since, what, birth?"

"Kindergarten, actually." Gaara's lips _almost_ turned up into a smile. Neji remembered Naruto being the only person on the planet able to do that. It seemed he hadn't lost his touch.

"Looks like I'm late." Neji turned to see a man he didn't know headed in their direction. He took a seat in the last remaining chair before bumping fists with Naruto and nodding to Gaara.

"Neji, this is Kiba. Kiba, this is Neji. He's an old friend from school, and we used to work together in Station Twelve."

"Hey." Kiba held his hand out, Neji shaking it. "Nice to meet you."

"Same."

"You should be jealous, Neji. I liked Kiba five minutes after I met him." Naruto grinned.

"Bastard." Neji teased, pretending to glare at Kiba. The brunette laughed, shaking his head.

Neji liked spending time with Naruto. It made him feel more relaxed and less like he had a stick up his ass. That feeling always went away when he talked to his uncle. Every time he did, he got the same question: "Why won't you quit this idiotic job and join my company? You're to be my heir, I cannot delay your appointment any longer." Neji hated it. He didn't want a fucking desk job. He wanted to be a firefighter—make a difference. Save people. It made him feel like he had a purpose.

A waitress came over and asked the three other men what they'd like to drink. They ordered and received their drinks two minutes later, the four chatting amongst themselves for a bit. And then,

"Naruto!"

"Oh, shit." the blond groaned, burying his hands in his hair. "Why _here_?"

"I think he overheard you talking to Gaara and I." Kiba chuckled.

Genma bounced towards Naruto and practically plopped down on the blond's lap, who stared at him in disgust.

"What the fuck?.!" Naruto pushed him off. "Get off me! What the hell is _wrong_ with you?.!"

"Where's your sitter?" Kiba asked as he laughed at Naruto's predicament. Kiba had been lucky enough _not_ to be Genma's type. Naruto, on the other hand, was too hot for _anyone_ to resist.

"Genma!" Raidou hollered, as if Kiba's question had summoned him. The scarred man yanked Genma back to his feet, pushing him away from the table. "Go find another table, you perverted fuck!"

"But _Raidou_—"

"No buts! Go!"

"Does this mean I'm not getting laid tonight?"

"_Go!"_ Genma jumped at the anger in Raidou's voice and scurried away to find a seat. Taking a deep breath, Raidou turned back to the group, giving Naruto an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. And about this afternoon in the shower. They should've warned you." Raidou glared at Kiba, as if it were all his fault.

"Oh, don't worry about it. They _did_ warn me, I just didn't listen." Naruto laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Still, I'm really sorry. I'll keep a closer eye on him. I have to say, though, I can understand his attraction."

"Careful, Namiashi." Gaara said, narrowing his eyes.

"Don't worry, Gaara. He's all yours."

"Gaara ain't gay." Kiba grinned. "I should know. He's been crushing on my sister for a while now."

"Who'd want that butch of a chick?" Genma hollered from another table. Kiba was on his feet seconds later, Gaara grabbing his arm to hold him back.

"What'd you say, pervert?.!"

"Genma!" Raidou exclaimed. "Fuck! I can't take you anywhere!" He turned back to Kiba. "Sorry, I'll go shut him up."

"Cut off his fucking balls, man!" Kiba growled as he sat back down. The scarred man turned and went to join his boyfriend at the other table, hitting him across the back of the head.

Neji had watched the whole interaction in silence, noting that Naruto had seemed disgusted with Genma at first, but was now smirking.

"He doesn't know you're gay, does he?"

"No." Naruto snorted. "It's funnier to fuck with him."

"Should I not stop him next time he jumps you?" Gaara inquired.

"No, no. Stop him. It'll piss him off more." Naruto grinned ferally.

Kiba stared at Naruto, his mouth open in shock. The other three noticed, staring at him with cocked eyebrows. The brunette pointed at the blond before speaking.

"You're—gay?"

"Well, bi, really." Naruto smirked as he leaned back in his chair, throwing one arm over the back of Gaara's. "I'm open to experimentation. But, yeah, I've been with a few guys."

"Broke my heart." Neji said, his eyebrow twitching.

"Oh, you and I never went at it." Naruto insisted. "One kiss cause you were curious what it was like to kiss a guy. Besides, aren't you engaged to Tenten, anyway?"

"Wait a second." Kiba leaned forward, pointing at Neji. "Tenten Tamura?"

"Yes." Neji said with a frown.

"Shit!" Naruto laughed. "That's right! Her last name's Tamura! Isn't she one of the paramedics for Medic Eight?"

"Yeah. That's why I was shocked." Kiba grinned. "I didn't know you were her fiancé."

"That would be me." Neji smirked. "And Tenten will be upset you forgot her last name." Naruto winced.

"Well, there were a lot of names. It's not like I had enough time to stop and consider everyone. Besides, I was too busy staring at the paramedic who was talking. I was sure he was going to drop dead."

Kiba laughed. "Yeah, Hayate's a sick bastard. I don't think he's ever been healthy in his life."

"Yet, he's a medic." Naruto said with a smirk before turning back to Neji. "Besides, it's not like I _saw_ her. If I had, I would've recognized her immediately." He then hit Neji in the arm. "And it wouldn't have killed you to tell me she worked at Station Seven, you prick."

"I knew you'd feel more inclined to go to Station Seven knowing Tenten was there. There's no chance in hell I'll get you back now, since Gaara is there." The Hyuuga motioned Gaara, the redhead smirking. Kiba choked on his drink, so startled by the action.

Naruto glanced at his watch and winced. "I have to be up early tomorrow to meet Tsunade and Jiraiya for something. Orochimaru's requested bail again." Naruto stood up, dropping money on the table for his drink.

"That's their brother, right?" Neji asked. "The crazy one who killed all those people at work cause he claimed they were demons?"

"That would be him." Naruto sighed. "He pleaded insanity, but criminalists proved he had a pre-thought out plan, which cancels out his insanity plea."

"Good luck." Gaara said as the blond waved good bye to them and headed out of the bar.

As the other three returned to their conversation, none of them noticed a dark figure in the corner watch the blond leave. He took a sip of his drink before putting it down and dropping money on the table, grabbing his jacket to follow the blond home.

* * *

Naruto let out a snort and rolled over, slamming his hand down on his alarm clock. He frowned and peeled his eyes open as he brought his hand back to stare at it. He stared at his hand for a good ten seconds before sitting up and looking at his alarm clock in confusion. 

He frowned and tried to remember what had happened last night. He'd come home completely sober, taken a shower, and then gone to bed. _So why the hell is there what I can only **assume** is vomit on my alarm clock?_ he thought, confused.

He threw his covers off himself with his clean hand and turned his body, placing his feet on the floor. His eyes widened slightly before he looked down at his carpet, his feet standing in a huge puddle of water. _What the fuck?.! Is there a leak in the pipes?_

He stood and padded towards his bathroom door, grabbing the handle with his clean hand to open the door. He frowned and pulled the handle up to his face, the bronze doorknob having come completely off the door. _Okay, this is just weird. What the fuck is going on? Am I dreaming?_

With a sigh, Naruto wiped his dirty hand on his boxers before turning and walking towards his bedroom door. He tried that knob and nodded, satisfied, as it opened. The second it did, a bucket full of eggs fell on his head.

Naruto stood in his doorway for close to a minute, staring at the wall in front of him with a vengeance, as if the bucket of eggs were somehow _its_ fault. _I am going to find out who did this, _Naruto thought angrily, _and hang him with his own intestines._

He stormed angrily down the corridor, ignoring the fact that he walked right through a small pool of shaving cream. He headed right for the stairs and screamed, ripping at his egg-soaked hair as he noticed string crisscrossing his stairs in a chaotic pattern. He didn't think he had anything sharp upstairs, so he would have to fight his way downstairs.

The blond grumbled and cursed angrily the whole time he fought his way through the string, crying out sharply when his hand or foot would get caught somewhere. It took him close to ten minutes to go down one flight of stairs, and by the time he hit the first level, he was absolutely livid. He couldn't remember being this mad since Gaara had ditched him to take the blame for a huge prank they'd pulled in grade eleven.

"I hope you're not still in my house, you asshole." Naruto hollered as he walked towards the kitchen. "Cause you're fucking dead meat if I find you!"

He stormed towards his kitchen, but just as he was about to walk into the room, he smacked into something and fell backwards on his ass. _Hard_. Looking up angrily, he stared, stunned, at the large piece of glass that was placed at his kitchen door. It was exactly one centimeter bigger than the door, leaning against it almost invisibly. Whoever had done it obviously went all out.

Naruto refrained from smashing his fist into the glass only because he knew it would take him forever to clean it up. Instead, he just grabbed the ends and pushed it aside. Honestly, he was surprised he hadn't broken it with the force he'd walked into it with.

Once the glass was safely out of his way, he walked towards the drawers to get scissors, grabbing the handle of the first one. He tugged, but it didn't open. It stayed shut. Frowning, he tugged again, the drawer giving way only slightly. That was when he noticed the drawer had been nailed shut. He threw out a stream of curses as he jumped up and down, stomping his feet angrily. He knew he looked like a four-year-old throwing a tantrum, but he was _pissed_!

Just as Naruto was about to grab the handle and force the drawer open, his eyes caught sight of a note on the wall right in front of the drawer. Squinting in the early morning light—why wasn't it brighter? It was seven!—he read the note, and saw red.

'Don't pull too hard on the drawer, moron. It's full of knives, remember? If you yank it out, they could go flying. Wouldn't want to scar that _perfect_ body of yours. Love, Death.'

"Oh, the fucker's dead." Naruto whispered, his voice dripping with hatred. "He's going to wish he _never_ met me!"

With that, Naruto yanked open the drawer, ducking slightly to avoid being hit by any flying knives. He was somewhat confused when nothing flew out and looked into the drawer. Inside was a plastic sheet covering the utensils in the drawer, another note lying on top.

'I knew you were an idiot and would yank this open. I figured I'd save my own ass from murder because you're a moron.'

"You're the moron for messing with _me_, Uchiha-bastard!" Naruto growled angrily as he ripped the plastic sheet off and grabbed his scissors.

Honestly, he didn't really understand why he and Sasuke had _immediately_ hated each other. He supposed it was because he was jealous of Sasuke, but that didn't explain why _Sasuke_ hated him. And to this _extreme_! _I should charge him for breaking and entering,_ Naruto thought as he made his way back to his stairs to cut all the string.

As he worked, he tried to think of ways to open his bathroom door. It wasn't the end of the world if he didn't get it open, since there were two other bathrooms in the house, but still. He had all of his stuff in _his_ bathroom.

He got through all the string and walked back upstairs, forgetting why he'd gone downstairs in the first place. He cursed as he reached the top, remembering it was to get tools in order to get his bathroom door open. He turned around and went back downstairs, grumbling all the while. He walked across the first floor until he reached the basement door. He grabbed the handle, yanked—and ended up with another doorknob in his hand.

Naruto was about to go nuclear when he caught sight of the time. It was five-forty-two in the morning. Sasuke had set his alarm two hours in advance. _Bastard was at least nice enough to know I had an important day,_ he thought with a growl as he stared at the door in front of him. He sighed, shaking his head, knowing he'd have no choice but the break the door down. He really couldn't afford to get his door fixed again, so it was going to suck, but it was all he could think of.

Just as he moved back and was about to ram his shoulder into the door, his phone rang. He paused with a frown, walking towards the closest one—which happened to be in the living room—and answered. He had no idea who could be calling him this early.

"Hello?"

"Don't break down your door, moron. Pull the hinges out." The phone went dead.

_The fucker is **watching** me! _Naruto thought angrily as he almost hurled his phone against the wall. The knowledge that he was quickly running out of money made him stop just in time, placing the phone down. _At least he saved my door, _Naruto thought angrily as he stormed to the kitchen to grab a knife. He went back to his basement door and pulled the hinges out before opening the door the opposite way. Once it was open, he just turned and went upstairs to do the same to his bathroom door. He didn't need the tools right now, anyway, and he'd rather just get ready and go somewhere _safe_ until he had time to come home and clean everything. He winced as he realized it wouldn't be until close to midnight.

After going to court with Jiraiya and Tsunade, he was going to have to head over to his second job—he worked in a Wal-Mart on the side, since he needed the extra money to pay his bills. His house wouldn't be clean for a while, and this caused a sigh to emit from between his lips. Oh, the Uchiha was going to pay.

* * *

Sasuke smirked as he watched the blond moving around his house, getting redder and redder in the face every time he passed a window. The raven smirked, grabbing a chip from the bag beside him and popping it into his mouth. 

He was perched on the roof of the house across the street from Naruto's. He knew the homeowners because he used to baby-sit their kids, and he couldn't help but feel fate had planned this. It was like everything was going Sasuke's way.

The Uchiha was an insomniac and hardly ever slept, so he found enough time to get everything set up in Naruto's house before settling himself on the roof across the street—having received permission to do so—and watching the show. He always called Naruto when the blond was going to do something stupid, but sometimes, he couldn't see him. That was why he'd put the plastic sheet in the knife-drawer, because he couldn't see him and he _knew_ the blond idiot would yank it open. It was just the kind of stupid thing he would do.

"Looks like he's about ready to go." Sasuke mused to himself as he pulled out his cell phone. He hit the speed-dial for one and put it to his ear, listening to it ring. It took a while before someone mumbled hello on the other end.

"Naruto needs a ride." the Uchiha stated bluntly.

"What?" Kiba asked sleepily. "Man, what time is it?" There was shuffling, which suggested Kiba was trying to find his alarm clock. "Fuck, Uchiha, it's six-thirty in the damn morning."

"Did you hear me? Naruto needs a ride." Sasuke repeated.

"What? How do you know? Where are you?"

"Across the street from his house." Sasuke replied easily.

"You didn't!" Kiba exclaimed, suddenly sounding wide awake. Sasuke grinned, but only because he knew no one could see him. "Fuck, Uchiha! It's my fucking day off, man."

"I'll make it up to you." Sasuke reassured.

"Yeah, you fucking better, man." Kiba grumbled before he hung up. Sasuke smirked as he closed his phone with one hand, watching Naruto enter his garage through one of his windows.

He had to admit, maybe taking the engine out of his car had been a little extreme, but hey, whatever would piss him off worked. He wanted the blond to transfer back to Station Twelve so he never had to see him again. Him and his perfect skin, and his perfect hair, and his perfect fucking _everything_! Fuck, even _Raidou_ had been casting glances at him in the shower, and Raidou was the pickiest person Sasuke had ever met! Other than Genma, the only person who'd ever caught his interest was Sasuke, but now, it looked like he was being replaced by some blond _straight _guy!

He never would've gone anywhere with Raidou, but it made a man feel good to know that a picky guy would think he was worth his time. As for Genma, well, the guy was a pervert, but he'd _never_ tried what he'd done to Naruto yesterday before. Just the thought of it made Sasuke growl.

His growl turned into a grin as Naruto emerged from the garage just as Kiba pulled in front of his house. Naruto looked purple in the face, almost as if he were going to explode. Sasuke's grin widened as he pulled his phone out and called Kiba again.

"What do you want?" the other man demanded, turning around to look right up at Sasuke, the raven giving him a small, teasing wave.

"Keep your phone on in your pocket, will you? I want to hear what he says." Sasuke smirked.

"Whatever, man." Kiba pushed his phone back into his pocket, but Sasuke could hear the sound of fabric brushing against the microphone as Kiba walked to the front door. He watched Kiba as theman knocked, hearing the sound in his ear a few seconds later. He hated the delay time.

The door opened and Sasuke smirked as he bent down slightly to avoid being seen.

"What are you doing here?" the blond's annoying voice demanded.

"I got a call from Sasuke saying you'd need a ride. I figured I'd lend you my car for the day, but you'll have to drop me off at home."

"Thanks, Kiba." Naruto mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"So," a smirk was evident in Kiba's voice, "Sasuke, one. Naruto, zero."

"Fuck you!" Naruto hollered angrily. Sasuke laughed quietly to himself.

Kiba leaned to the side slightly to look into Naruto's house. "Yikes. Sasuke one-_thousand_, by the looks of it."

"I'll get him back for this shit!" Naruto yelled angrily. "You hear that, Uchiha?.!" he screamed out his door. "You're dead!"

_I'm so scared, _the raven thought with a smirk, bending down a little more. He didn't want Naruto to yell at the people whose house he was perched on because they'd let Sasuke watch the show on their roof. It would be unfair to them.

Sasuke waited until Naruto and Kiba were gone before closing his phone, gathering his things and shoving them back into his backpack. He carefully made his way down the side of the house before jumping to the ground, dusting his hands off and walking towards his motorcycle. He got on it, revved it up, and disappeared down the street. He felt bad that his bike was so loud when it was only seven in the morning, but he figured the people could deal with it. Most of them would be getting up for work and school, anyway.

He made his way back to one of his houses—he had four—and parked his motorcycle on the driveway. He got off it, pushing the kick-stand down before flipping the keys in his hand and heading for his front door. As he reached it, he shoved the key in the lock, turning it and pushing down on the doorknob to open the door, but he paused.

The door was slightly hot, and when he looked down, he could see smoke billowing out from beneath his door before being sucked back in. Backdraft (1).

"Shit." Sasuke whispered. He'd already pushed down on the door handle, and even if he let it back up slowly, the small shift would probably still allow oxygen into his house.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke let go of the doorknob and bolted from the door, running for all he was worth. He barely made it halfway down his driveway before the house exploded, sending him flying through the air and onto the street.

* * *

Kakashi opened the bathroom door and smirked as he rubbed water out of his hair with his towel, walking into his room before bending down over the bed, grinning at the other occupant. Iruka Umino lay on one side, fast asleep. He'd obviously fallen asleep waiting for Kakashi to get out of the shower. 

"Wake up." Kakashi nudged Iruka's chin with his nose, kissing the hollow of his throat. "Wake up, Umino."

"Mm." Iruka mumbled. "Stop it." He pushed against Kakashi halfheartedly before turning onto his side, his back to Kakashi. The Captain wouldn't be blown off so easily, and they both knew it.

Kakashi climbed onto the bed, throwing the towel on the floor as he did so, and pressed himself up against Iruka's back, pulling the other man towards him. It was awkward since Iruka was under the covers and Kakashi wasn't, but he managed to hold onto him and nuzzle his neck.

"Why do you call me Captain Hatake all the time?" he asked his lover. "It's weird acting so formal with you. Does it turn you on, or something?" Kakashi grinned.

"You know I don't want my subordinates to know we're together." Iruka murmured, knowing he wasn't going to be allowed to continue sleeping. "It's all right in the firehouse because most of you are gay, but I don't know how Shikamaru would take it."

"The boy's got a good head on his shoulders." Kakashi whispered, content with lying like he was with Iruka in his arms. "He's been working for you since he graduated from the Arson Academy. That was, what, three years ago? I'm sure your sexual preferences won't mean anything to him."

"Mm. Still." Iruka shifted to get more comfortable in Kakashi's arms before settling down for sleep again.

"You're not just going to go to sleep and leave me all hot and bothered, now, are you?" Kakashi asked, a hint of a pout in his voice.

Iruka couldn't help but smile, his eyes still closed. He knew that no matter what, Kakashi was going to get his way, but that didn't mean he'd make it easy for him. He steadied out his breathing, feigning sleep.

"_Iruka_." Kakashi whined before blowing in the Arson Investigator's ear. "Play with me."

Iruka's comeback was interrupted by the phone ringing, Kakashi cursing and pulling away from Iruka. "Who calls at seven in the fucking morning on a firefighter's day off?" he grumbled as he grabbed the phone and put the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"

Someone spoke on the other end as Iruka turned to look at Kakashi, trying to gauge who it was by his lover's facial expressions. He was shocked when he saw Kakashi's eyes widen and his face contorted with horror.

"When?"

Iruka sat up, concerned. "Who is it? What's wrong?" Kakashi ignored him.

"Where is here?"

* * *

The gray-haired Captain of Engine Seven threw open the double doors to the hospital, walking hurriedly towards the front desk. 

"Where is he?"

"This way, Captain Hatake." a petite nurse with pink hair—her name was Sakura—said briskly as she turned and led the way for Kakashi.

He followed her with hurried steps, making his way to one of the rooms. Sakura motioned a door and he walked into the room without a second thought, not even saying thank you, although he knew he should have.

"Will you _back off_?.! I'm _fine_! Ow!"

"Hold still, you bastard!"

"Sasuke." The Uchiha and a black-haired paramedic turned to the door, finally noticing their Captain had arrived.

"Captain." Tenten Tamura stood up, pointing one delicately manicured finger at Sasuke. "Will you tell him he's _not_ fine and he needs to _stop_ moving around while I'm trying to patch him up!"

"Stop being a brat, Uchiha." Kakashi instructed.

"Bite me, Hatake." Sasuke grumbled, looking away from his Captain. He didn't move again so Tenten returned to patching him up.

"What happened?" Kakashi inquired, leaning back against the wall.

"Backdraft."

"Itachi?"

"Who else?" Sasuke growled.

Kakashi's eyes wandered across his foster brother's frame, examining each one of his wounds. He didn't seem too badly off, considering his house had just exploded. He had a few scratches on his hands, probably from trying to break his fall when he landed. The left side of his face was scratched up, too. He had a few lacerations on his arms, neck and back. The back of his shirt was scorched, and the ends of his hair were singed. Kakashi didn't want to know how close he'd been when the house exploded. He was lucky he wasn't injured more than that.

"Which house were you at?" Kakashi asked as Tenten continued to treat his wounds. He had a particularly nasty gash on his right arm that she was currently debating whether or not needed stitches.

"The one on Maple." Sasuke winced as Tenten poked his wound.

"What district is that in?" Kakashi inquired, frowning.

"Eleven, I think. Ow!" The Uchiha wrenched his arm away from Tenten. "Jesus, woman!"

"God, you never change!" Tenten snapped as she got to her feet. "Forget it, I'm getting Ebisu."

"Don't get that weirdo, get Hayate!" Sasuke ordered.

Tenten turned to him with a vicious sneer. "He's not here today. Will Aoba do, your _highness_?"

"Yes." Sasuke hissed. Tenten gave him a look before turning and storming out of the hospital room, intent on finding Aoba so she wouldn't have to deal with the Uchiha. _If I run into Ebisu first, he's getting **him**! _Tenten decided with a smirk.

Back in the room, Kakashi was sighing while rubbing his face. "Just cause _some_ girls crush on you is no reason to be an asshole to _all_ of them." he said with a poignant look. "Tenten is engaged, anyway."

"I don't care." Sasuke muttered. "I'd rather be treated by a guy."

"Yo, Death." They both turned to the door as a man with spikey brown hair and sunglasses perched on his head entered. "I heard ya got yer house blown ta bits."

"Yes, I sure did." Sasuke grumbled. "Wanna come over here and fix me up?"

"Still dun like it when Ten does it?" Aoba asked as he settled himself in front of Sasuke and got to work. "Ya know, Death, s'bout time ya realized she ain't godda thing for ya."

"That's not the point." Sasuke grumbled, wincing as Aoba cleaned up one of his wounds.

"Where you staying tonight?" Kakashi inquired.

"Probably at the house on Montcrest." Sasuke replied. "Itachi shouldn't know about that one, yet."

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. He knew Sasuke was rich because of his parents. Heck, he still owned his father's company on the side of being a firefighter, but left someone else in charge. The man was practically rolling in money. So instead of trying to stop his houses from being destroyed by his older brother, he just bought a lot of houses and moved around when one got blown up. This wasn't the first time it had happened. Sasuke never kept anything valuable in his houses. Everything important to him was at Kakashi's or Kiba's.

"Aight, Uchiha. Y'all are done." Aoba stood up.

"Thanks, Aoba." Kakashi nodded to him.

"Wha'ever, Hatake. I'll see y'all back at work tommora." Aoba waved to them as he left.

Kakashi turned back to Sasuke, watching him. The raven just stared down at his bandaged hands. "You going to be able to work, or do you want time off?"

"I'll work." Sasuke replied.

"Yeah, where were you all night, anyway?" Kakashi asked, crossing his arms. "I tried calling you at all your places, and even tried your cell phone."

"I was at Naruto's." Kakashi's face hardened.

"Sasuke, you didn't."

"I want him to leave."

"We _need_ him!"

"Why?.!" Sasuke hollered. "There's plenty of us!"

"Our Station is lacking! We have the least amount of people than any other Station!" Kakashi hollered. Sasuke flinched and looked back down at his bandages, a scowl on his face. Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"He bugs me."

"Why?"

"I don't know, he just _does_." Sasuke snapped. "Something about him just—bugs me."

"You'll get over it." Kakashi said, patting Sasuke lightly on the shoulder. "He seems like a good guy. He and Kiba get along well, so you'll probably end up putting up with him."

"I don't _want_ to." Sasuke snapped, slapping Kakashi's hand away and getting to his feet.

"Why not?" Kakashi asked with a frown.

"I just don't!" Sasuke hollered before stomping out of the hospital room, Kakashi staring after him confused.

* * *

A dark figure walked easily through the rooms of a large warehouse, looking around to ensure everything was set up perfectly. He inhaled deeply on his cigarette before pulling it away from between his lips, blowing the smoke out as he looked around. 

His boots crunched on broken glass as he walked, knowing the place was empty, and it wouldn't hurt anyone. That wasn't his goal. He was more interested in hurting the people who would _come_ to put the fire _out_. They were the only people he wished to hurt.

He checked his watch and let out a small sigh. It was still too early. He'd have to wait at _least_ another five minutes. So, he turned and began to check everything again, walking slowly through the large area and stopping beside buckets of gasoline. He checked his watch again and nodded when he noticed the time.

Walking briskly, he went to the lower level, near the back, and picked up a remote. He punched in a bunch of numbers before placing the timer back down and setting it up. It started counting down backwards.

He took another drag of his cigarette as he stood, looking around. He walked up to a wall and ran his hand over what he'd burned into it, smirking slightly around his cigarette as he did so. It was carved in and then burned, making it hard for it to disappear.

Honestly, he didn't know why he warned them—let them know it was him. By all accounts, it was stupid if he _really_ wanted them all dead. Then again, this wasn't necessarily how he wanted the little bastard to go. Oh, no. He had better plans for his dear little brother. He just had to wait until he could put them into effect.

Glancing at his watch, he smirked. Station Seven had just had its shift change. His brother was now on duty. Perfect.

He turned and walked towards the door as he inhaled. He held the smoke in his lungs briefly as he turned and flicked the cigarette into the warehouse. It caught on some gasoline and the house went up in flames as Itachi Uchiha walked calmly away, his hands in his pockets, exhaling the smoke in his lungs.

"Have fun, little brother."

* * *

(1) A backdraft is essentially when there's a fire with hardly any or no oxygen suddenly receiving oxygen. The fire itself will be gone because there's no oxygen, but there's super-heated gases still present, which will expand. Once oxygen is re-introduced, it'll cause the super-heated gases to light all at the same time, which will cause an explosion. So here, if Sasuke opens his door, there'll be a whoosh of air rushing by his face into the house before the gases ignite and blow up the house. 


	4. A Job With Hazard Pay

**A/N: Since the Roommates sequel is taking longer than I anticipated, I hope this will appease those of you waiting for it. **

**Disclaimer: I was kidding about stopping. I'll just stop trying to get Kiba... and write something else... so...**

**If I owned Naruto... There would be a firefighter calendar... or a swimsuit calendar... or an underwear calendar... But because K. Masashi owns them... he'd probably use the girls... DOH! (Co-written by Fuzzy-Hime).**

**Speaking of Fuzzy-Hime, check out her signature on DevArt: ---Foolish little ototou, you still cannot beat me, why? Because your outfit lacks hatred... and style :flips Akatsuki Cloak for emphasis: pwned--- Heh... go Itachi.**

**... Anyway. Chapter. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Naruto let out a long, exhausted sigh as he entered his house and threw his bag on the floor. He winced as he rolled his shoulder, having had debris fall on him at the first fire they'd been to. It had been another one by The Fan. Naruto was starting to hate him. The bastard was just so—bastard-like. _Like his brother, _Naruto thought dryly as he looked around his house. He still hadn't had time to clean it, and he suspected he wouldn't for a while. 

After his second job the day before, he'd been so exhausted he'd passed out on his bed the second he'd landed on it. He'd woken up with barely enough time to get to the Station, and then was coming home right now. But, now he had to head to work _again_. His _other_ job. _The one that doesn't get hazard pay,_ he thought with a smirk as he stretched, headed for the stairs.

He reached the second floor and bypassed everything still on his floor, headed for his room. He stripped and took a quick shower before grabbing a pair of black pants and a white shirt, pulling them on. He grabbed his keys and cell phone before leaving the house, getting into Tsunade's car—he'd returned Kiba's and borrowed hers. The woman was like his mother, anyway.

He'd confronted Sasuke at work about everything he'd done, but the raven had just smirked and casually told him it would all go away if he transferred. Naruto had shot back that Sasuke obviously couldn't handle himself, since he looked so beat up. As retaliation, the raven—who was _going_ to tell Naruto where his engine was—had decided to let the blond suffer without a car for a few more days.

Naruto drove slowly towards the Wal-Mart downtown, parking at one of the employee's parking spots before exiting the car and heading inside. He pushed through a large crowd and made his way to the back, punching in as he grabbed his nametag and vest from his locker.

He pulled the bright blue vest on, wincing every time he did because it looked so nasty. Putting the nametag around his neck, he nodded to Gaara's brother Kankurou before pushing through the double doors and heading towards Electronics. He still had five minutes, so he was going to use them for something fun.

"Hey, gorgeous. Guess whose ass _I_ saved today." Naruto grinned as he leaned forward on the counter, looking at the girl on the other side.

She gave a huff as she filed her nails. "Gaara get into trouble again?"

"Aw, don't be like that about your baby brother." Naruto teased Temari Sabaku. "You're just jealous 'cause now he can hog me as often as you can."

Temari stuck her tongue out at him, but then smiled. She was glad that Gaara could see Naruto as often as she could, now. With the two of them working as firefighters, and Naruto working at Wal-Mart on the side, the two of them hadn't had much time to hang out. That, and the fact that Neji always got to Naruto before Gaara made it impossible for her brother to see him. She was beginning to feel bad for him. But now, thing were looking up.

"So, how was work?" Temari leaned forward, her eyes flickering to a bunch of kids who were staring longingly at a movie they obviously couldn't buy. She hated shoplifters, and silently begged they just stare and then walk away. She didn't feel like having any trouble today.

"Exhausting." She looked back at Naruto as he replied, his own eyes on the two boys. The highest cases of shoplifting always occurred in Electronics. "We had a killer fire set by The Fan. Wanna see my bruise?"

Before Temari could say anything, Naruto had pulled up his sleeve and angled his body so she could see the large purple-blue bruise on his shoulder. She winced.

"Ow."

"Yeah, it hurts." Naruto grinned as he pulled the sleeve back down. "But, you know, I'm used to—"

He was interrupted when the storewide speakers clicked and a voice echoed through the store.

"_Electronics, page one-oh-five. Electronics, one-oh-five." (1)_

Naruto was about to leave and let Temari work, when he frowned and thought for a second. "Wait, isn't _Electronics_ one-oh-five?" he inquired.

Temari smirked as she picked up the phone and hit three buttons to put what she was going to say over the store speaker. "Warren, Electronics _is_ one-oh-five. Again: Warren, Electronics _is_ one-oh-five." She hung up the phone.

"Oh, you're dead." Naruto teased. She just shrugged as they heard Warren again.

"_Electronics, page one-seven-oh. Electronics, one-seven-oh."_

Temari picked up the phone. "You in Customer Service today?"

"No, Cash. Number Twelve." the blond replied as he walked backwards, headed towards the front to start working.

"Okay, I'll call you."

"You do that." Naruto grinned before turning and jogging towards his cash before he got himself fired.

* * *

Sasuke parked his motorcycle a little ways away from the blond idiot, who'd parked really close to the door. _What, walking a few extra steps is exhausting, dumbass?_ Sasuke thought with a smirk as he pulled off his helmet and placed it on his bike before stealthily following the blond into the Wal-Mart. Honestly, _how_ the blond hadn't noticed Sasuke following him all this time, he didn't know, but he was beginning to suspect he was an idiot. _Beginning? Didn't I already establish that he's a dumbass?_ He smirked to himself. 

As he went through the doors, he lost sight of the blond, and silently cursed. He'd been following him to see what sort of things he'd buy to pay Sasuke back for the pranks. Now that he'd lost him in such a huge store, there was no _way_ he'd find him again. _Shit,_ he cursed silently, looking around for a head of shockingly blond hair. He didn't find one.

"Shit, now what?" he pondered aloud, crossing his arms and just standing in the entrance.

After a few seconds, he just sighed and was about to leave when something caught his eyes. He walked towards a bunch of water guns and a devilish smirk crossed his face. Maybe walking into this store hadn't been a bad idea, after all. If the blond was going to find his revenge in here, Sasuke could at _least_ start planning his counter-attack, right? Right.

So, Sasuke grabbed a basket and began to make his way through the store. Were this anyone else, he would've been whistling a nameless tune and smirking like a madman, but this was Sasuke Uchiha, so he just settled with letting the corners of his mouth turn up ever so slightly.

It took him less time than he thought going through the store, but by the time he was done, his basket was full. Turning, he headed back for the front and the cashiers, walking along to find a fairly empty one. He was in luck as he noticed one that had no customers, but what he didn't notice as he began to place things on the conveyer—was the head of shockingly blond hair he'd been looking for earlier.

Naruto, for his part, had had his back to the conveyer when Sasuke had passed by. He'd been looking at something else, but had caught sight of the raven in a window further away from his cash. His eyes had widened as he'd noticed Sasuke turning and beginning to place things on his conveyer. _Oh, no **fucking** way!_ Naruto thought angrily as he grit his teeth. _I can't escape from this guy!_

With an annoyed sigh, Naruto turned and began to ring things through.

"Find everything you were looking for to prank an unsuspecting and undeserving victim, _sir_?"

Sasuke froze before his eyes slowly rose to lock with angered blue eyes. Naruto hadn't paused in his ringing through of Sasuke's items, but he wasn't looking at what he was doing. He'd been working at Wal-Mart since he was sixteen, he didn't _need_ to look.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke finally asked, his voice cool and devoid of emotion.

"Working, duh." Naruto snapped as he continued to put Sasuke's things in bags.

"Don't you work at the firehouse?" Sasuke asked again as he continued to put things on the conveyer belt.

"_Some_ people aren't rich and need to work more than one job to pay the bills." Naruto snapped.

Sasuke said nothing as he continued to place his items on the conveyer. Once they were all on, he put the basket down in a corner where other baskets were placed, and waited for Naruto to finish.

"That'll be sixty-seven ninety." Sasuke paid without a word, grabbing his bags as Naruto counted out some change.

"Keep it." Sasuke replied as he began to walk away.

The raven suddenly felt someone shoving their hand in his back pocket and he jerked around sharply, stunned to find Naruto behind him. The blond had just returned his change.

"I don't need your charity." he spat before turning on his heel and returning to his cash to serve the next customer.

Sasuke let out a grunt as he headed for the exit. It wasn't until he was half-way through the parking lot that he realized he'd come to Wal-Mart on his bike. He cursed.

* * *

Naruto walked into Station Seven, nodding to a few people from the previous shift before heading into the main room. He walked to the bunk-room and dropped his bag onto the bed second closest to the door before stretching. 

"I hate night shifts." Kiba grumbled as he entered the bunk-room and threw his bag onto his bed. "I never get into REM sleep when we have night shifts. I mean, who the fuck is up and burning shit at four in the morning? Honestly!"

"Arsonists." Naruto smirked as he pulled off his shirt.

"Smartass." Kiba grumbled before yawning. "Shit." He shook his head before glancing at his watch.

It was close to eleven at night. Kakashi's shift was going to be working from eleven to seven in the morning. Because it was night, they were going to be sleeping until they heard the intercom wail that they had to get up. None of them were too concerned with missing a fire, since Sasuke barely ever slept. That, and most of them were light sleepers. They'd never slept through an alarm before.

Sasuke entered the bunk-room, hitting his shoulder against Naruto's as the blond was leaving with Kiba. Naruto let out a small cry before clutching his shoulder. It had been the one he'd gotten bruised the day before.

He turned to glare at Sasuke, but the other man had turned his back on them, heading towards the bathroom. "Jerk."

"What?" Kiba turned to him with a frown as they entered the main room andthe brunetteheaded for the fridge to grab something.

"Nothing." Naruto grumbled.

"Naruto." Gaara said as he passed him.

"Hey." he muttered before the redhead disappeared into the bunk-room.

"What's troubling you, man?" Kiba asked as he took a swig of his drink—Naruto suspected it was orange juice.

"Nothing. I just feel that—every time I even _look_ at him, I piss him off. No matter what I do, it's like he thinks I'm a waste of oxygen or something." he grumbled annoyed.

"Gaara's like that about everyone." Kiba insisted, taking another sip of his drink.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "Gaara? Gaara and I get along great, always have. I was talking about Sasuke." Kiba paused.

"Oh. Well—he's like that, too." Kiba said before downing the rest of his drink.

"No, I'm serious. What the fuck is his problem with me? He's got this whole 'holier than thou art' attitude."

"'Holier than thou art'?" Kiba smirked. "Who are you, Shakespeare?"

"You know what I mean." Naruto snapped.

The brunette sighed, running his hand through his hair before walking towards the table and spinning a chair around, sitting on it backwards.

"You have to understand something about Sasuke, Naruto. He doesn't like getting close to anyone, because they always die. Especially in our line of work. It took him forever to warm up to Kakashi when they were younger, and I must've bugged him for a solid _year_ before he even began to _consider_ me as a type of friend. Albeit, a very loud and annoying friend, but I was still a friend. He regrets letting me in. He regrets letting _anyone_ in, because he knows that at any time, they can up and die on him."

"Doesn't mean he has to be a cold bastard and break into my fucking house." Naruto snapped.

Kiba sighed, folding his hands together. "I'll be honest with you, man. I think you scare him."

Naruto's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "_Scare_ him?.!"

"You're likeable. You pull people in. You're like—ice cream. You always say 'just one bite', but you can't help coming back for a second one, you know?" Kiba turned to look at the door to the bunk-room. "I think Sasuke is scared that if you stay here too long, he'll want to take that one bite, and then it'll turn into two, and then three, and—you know how it goes. You'll become friends, and he'll have yet _another_ person to lose."

"I'm not asking to be his friend." Naruto said dryly. "I'd just appreciate it if he'd not pull pranks on me when I'm trying to keep a deranged murderer in jail."

"He doesn't know how else to get rid of you." Kiba insisted.

Naruto was about to open his mouth to argue when Sasuke stormed out of the bunk-room, a look so threatening on his face that Kiba propelled out of his seat and backed up slightly. Naruto, for his part, stayed where he was, his eyes fixed on Sasuke.

"What did you do?" The raven stopped a few feet from Naruto, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides.

"Whatever do you mean?" Naruto asked innocently. He was pulling it off quite nicely, too.

"You know what I mean!" Sasuke hollered, something which, in and of itself, made Kiba jump.

He'd _never_ seen someone rile Sasuke up _this_ much. Heck, the purple-faced look Sasuke was sporting right now was a rare occurrence usually only reserved for Kakashi. To have that particular shade while facing Naruto made Kiba almost scared to ask what this was about.

"Oh, you mean my payback?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing. "I have two jobs, and no spare time. My house is _still_ full of your pranks because I haven't had any _fucking_ time to clean it! You mess with me, expect to be messed with in return!"

Naruto stood and shoved his way past Sasuke, wincing as he realized he'd shouldered the raven with his sore arm. He slammed into the bunk-room, leaving Sasuke livid in the kitchen. Kiba swallowed hard and began to inch to the side when Sasuke's gaze locked with his. Kiba could've sworn the raven's eyes had turned red with anger.

"Did you help him?" he hissed.

"No!" Kiba exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. "No way, man! I wouldn't!" He waved his hands out in front of himself frantically.

"Hn." Sasuke turned, headed back for the bunk-room.

"Um, wh-what did he do?" Kiba asked nervously.

The raven turned to him and he flinched, but relaxed when he realized he wasn't going to be attacked.

"Let's just say my uniform is better fit for a two year old now." he spat before also disappearing into the bunk-room.

Kiba stared at the closed door incredulously. _No shit, Naruto **shrunk** Sasuke's uniform?_ he thought before bursting out laughing. He shook his head as he headed towards a white-board in the corner and erased everything that was written under their shift. It had all been done, anyway. He picked up a marker and began to write when Kakashi entered.

The Captain stared at Kiba's back, frowning, before walking over to the brunette and looking over his shoulder. "Sasuke, one. Naruto, one. What is this?"

"A prank tally." Kiba grinned as he replaced the pen.

"No way." Kakashi's eyebrows shot up. "He retaliated?"

"He sure did." Kiba replied, turning to his Captain. "He shrunk Sasuke's uniform."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"He has a death wish."

"I don't know." Kiba admitted with a frown. "He's got Gaara on his side, so _I_ wouldn't mess with him. Uchiha's smart enough to know not to mess with Gaara, too."

"I suppose." Kakashi said with a frown. "Come on, we better get to bed before our first call."

"Sure thing, boss." Kiba bounced towards the bunk-room, Kakashi still looking at the white-board.

"Naruto, one, huh?" he asked himself with a hint of a smile. "Maybe there's hope for Sasuke after all."

He turned and headed for the bunk-room to get some sleep.

* * *

Sasuke lay on his back on the uncomfortable bed in the firehouse. He could hear the others around him sleeping, their breaths calm and even. He'd expected Naruto to be the odd one out and snore, but the blond was a surprisingly quiet sleeper when one considered how loud he was while awake. 

Sasuke turned his head to regard the blond, a frown on his face. He was still pissed about his uniform, and had considered doing something to Naruto's bed, but thought better of it. He and Naruto may not have been on the best of terms, but they couldn't let that affect them while they worked. It was dangerous, not only for them, but for their co-workers, too.

Heck, the morning after Sasuke had pulled all his pranks on Naruto, the two had been sent in together and had acted as if nothing had happened. Naruto had molded himself to Sasuke's back, and the two of them had moved forward to put out the fire. They'd remained purely professional until they'd gotten to rehab, where Naruto had promptly begun to yell at Sasuke.

Naruto's own prank hadn't been destructive, either. The only time Sasuke ever used his uniform was when they had a dinner, or a firefighter died and they had to pay their respects. Otherwise, the uniform sat peacefully in his locker.

The raven's frown deepened as he found himself staring at Naruto. He hastily turned away and growled to himself. Why was he staring at the blond idiot? He _hated_ him! He knew he hated him, because every time he _looked_ at him, he felt something in his chest clench. If not hatred, then what was it?

Sasuke heard a small moan and he frowned, turning to look back at everyone in the room. The moan happened again and his eyes zeroed in on Naruto. His eyebrows were down in a frown and his breathing had become slightly erratic. He turned his head to one side before turning it sharply to the other, his hands clenching the sheets. The blond rolled onto his side, facing Sasuke, and the raven watched him, concerned, as the blond began to shake. He was still fisting the sheets, holding onto them as if his life depended on it.

The blond began to whimper and tears squeezed themselves from his eyes, and _still_, Sasuke stared. _Is he having a nightmare? What should I do?_ He found himself struggling between helping the blond and just ignoring him. When a sob escaped from Naruto's throat, Sasuke felt his heart twinge and he sighed, getting up. He couldn't let the blond live through whatever nightmare he was in. Not when Sasuke himself knew what it was like.

He bent down beside Naruto's bed, his hand on the blond's bare shoulder. He noticed the large bruise, but ignored it as he found his hand had dampened with the blond's sweat. Whatever this nightmare was, it was bad. Sasuke had to wake him up.

"Hey." He shook Naruto. "Hey, Naruto. Wake up."

The blond whimpered and curled in on himself even more. Sasuke shook him again, harder this time.

"Oi, dumbass, wake up!"

Naruto shot up in bed, almost hitting Sasuke in the face, but the raven moved at the last second. Naruto breathed hard as he stared at his shaking hands, clenching them into fists to make the shaking stop. He was confused as to why he'd woken up. He had the same dream almost every night, and he was always forced to live through it all before he woke up, but this time, he still had at least a few more minutes before he was due to awaken, so why—His eyes locked on a pair of onyx ones.

_Oh, great,_ Naruto thought annoyed. _He's seen me have a nightmare, and now, he's going to make fun of me. Fantastic._

When Sasuke was sure Naruto was awake and back to himself, he stood and went back to his own bed, lying down and turning his back to Naruto. The blond, for his part, just stared at him. _What, no tease? No joke? Nothing? _he thought, confused.

"Why?" he whispered.

There was no answer for a few seconds, but Sasuke clenched his fists in his own sheets, gritting his teeth as he answered. He'd give the idiot _that_ much.

"Because I know what it's like to wake up alone after a nightmare that makes your whole body feel like it's being ripped apart." he replied in the darkness.

Both men then turned their heads in the direction of the bunk-room door as the intercom popped, announcing a new fire. Their night was just starting.

* * *

Kakashi coughed into his mask, feeling the hot air blowing into his face. He was running out, and he knew the signals telling him it was time to leave would go off soon. 

"**Blade, how you doin' on air?"** he called over his radio to Zabuza, who was pressed up behind him. The other man checked his tank.

"**Probably got about as much left as you do. Time to pull out?"**

"**Yeah. Arrow, Scarface, you copy?"**

"**Roger that, Scarecrow. We'll start headin' in." **Genma replied.

Kakashi turned off the hose, Zabuza almost toppling him over because he was still leaning against him, and the two of them turned to exit the building. As they crawled past a wall, Kakashi stared through the thick smoke and grime and noticed a Fan burned into the plaster. He let out a growl, knowing it was almost pointless to put out this fire, since they'd have to put it out again _anyway_.

"**Guys, I just saw our good friend The Fan's emblem on the wall. Get ready to leave as soon as the fire's out."**

"**Roger that." **Gaara said over the radio. **"I'll pass the message on to the other Engines."**

"**Thanks, Sandman." **

The two of them continued to crawl when Kakashi got an uneasy feeling. He felt really heavy—much heavier than he had a few seconds before. And it seemed the room was getting hotter, though he couldn't understand why.

"**You feel that, Scarecrow?"** Zabuza's voice made Kakashi jump, because he hadn't been expecting it.

"**Yeah, I feel it."** he replied, looking around.

Neither could pinpoint the source of their unease, but it made the two of them move faster. They were pretty far into the building, and Kakashi's mask began to vibrate, warning him he had five minutes of air left. Zabuza's started vibrating a few seconds later.

Suddenly, all the hairs on the back of Kakashi's neck stood on end, and the firefighter turned sharply to stare into the darkness in the direction of the fire. He'd encountered this feeling only once before, and he knew what it was now. But unlike last time, he wouldn't get out of it.

"**Oh my God, flashover (2)."** Kakashi breathed into his radio.

"**Run!"** Zabuza hollered.

The two of them stood and bolted down the long corridor, neither concerning themselves with the heat of the flames around them. By standing up and running, they risked getting nasty burns. By continuing to crawl, they would die. It was as simple as that.

Genma and Raidou were yelling at them over the radio, asking what they should do—other than pull out, of course. Their Captain was inside, so they needed to know whether he wanted them to help him get out, or just wait outside for the inevitable.

In their panic, the Captain and his firefighter forgot the most important rule of all when entering and leaving a house on fire—keep track of the hose. The hose is the only means of finding the exit, and since they'd stood up, the two of them ended up in a completely different area than they were meant to be in.

A dead end.

Kakashi ran up to the wall and pounded on it. His breath was coming harshly now, and he could hear his mask buzzing, indicating he was desperately running out of air. Zabuza himself just looked around as he silently calculated how much time they had. Less than five seconds, if he was right. They'd been lucky enough to identify the flashover before it actually happened. This was rare. And by rare, it really meant it was almost impossible.

Zabuza looked up and saw a window, and in a split second, the bulky man came to a decision. If Zabuza was going to die, he was going to die alone. Kakashi wasn't coming with him.

With this in mind, Zabuza grabbed his Captain and put one of Kakashi's feet in his hands. The Scarecrow stared at him, stunned.

"**Take care of the new kid."** he grunted as he raised his arms with all his might, sending Kakashi flying through the window a mere second before the entire place went up in flames.

"Kakashi!" Sasuke hollered as he ran towards his foster brother, the Captain himself staring wide-eyed at the broken window he'd sailed through.

Zabuza was still inside. And by the way his anguished screams of pain had been cut off, Kakashi could only assume he had died.

The firefighter known as Blade was no more.

* * *

(1) One-oh-five, or any other number, is basically the extension number for a specific phone in a specific section. 

(2) A flashover is when all combustible material in an enclosed area ignites all at once. This happens when the majority of the surfaces in that area are heated to a point where they give off flammable gases, which are hot enough to ignite. What will happen is that when the gases are hot enough, they will ignite and then every surface in that room will go up in flames. It'll basically go from pitch black to "you are now entering hell" in a matter of seconds. EVERYTHING burns, and that includes firefighters and their bunker gear. It's nasty shit. It's also a natural occurrence, it can't be created like a backdraft.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys liked the new chapter... despite the angst... :sweat: Oh, come on! It's ME! You HAD to have known there would be angst! It's my style! Humour and angst! **

**I'm done. Sorry, I've had too much sugar today :sweat: Hope you guys liked it. **


	5. Falling

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, as usual. Hope it doesn't bother you guys too, too much.**

**Disclaimer: K. Masashi sold me his soul, therefore, I now own Naruto! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**

**Warning: OOCness**

* * *

Iruka ran down the hospital corridor with Shikamaru in tow, the two of them headed for the waiting room. Iruka slammed through the doors of the private area reserved for firefighters and his eyes searched for a mesh of grey hair. All they'd heard down at headquarters was that a firefighter from Station Seven had died. No one had told them who. 

Iruka let out a sigh as he spotted his lover and ran towards him, wrapping his arms around the older man without caring what anyone thought. He could've lost him, but he hadn't.

"Thank God." he whispered, closing his eyes. "Thank _God_, Kakashi."

The Captain didn't reply, which forced Iruka to pull back and stare at him. Kakashi's eyes were fixed on a cup of water he held in his hand, the liquid swirling around as he tipped the glass this way and that. Iruka frowned at his lack of response, turning to survey everyone else in the room.

Sasuke was still there, and Iruka found himself letting out a sigh of relief. Things would've been bad if Kakashi's almost-brother had been the one killed. The new guy was there, too. Kiba, Gaara, Genma, Raidou, Kotetsu and Izumo. Everyone was there, except—

Iruka winced and looked at the floor as he realized who was missing. Zabuza. He was a childhood friend of Kakashi's. If there was anyone other than Sasuke that couldn't ever die on Kakashi, it was Zabuza.

"Kakashi, I'm so sorry." Iruka whispered, hugging his lover again, even though he knew he would get no reaction. Tears squeezed themselves from his eyes and he felt himself trembling. He cursed his weakness, because Kakashi didn't need this right now. He needed Iruka to be there for him!

"What happened?" Shikamaru inquired, not concerning himself with the relationship Kakashi and Iruka seemed to have. It wasn't any of his business.

"We don't really know." Genma whispered. "We only heard him saying it was a flashover on the radio, and then a second before it occurred, Kakashi came flying out a side window. Zabuza was still inside. The Captain hasn't said a word since."

"It was the work of The Fan." Sasuke added, his hands clasped together in front of him, his elbows resting on his knees. Iruka noticed his knuckles were turning white because he was squeezing so hard. "The Fan took Zabuza away from us."

"Dammit!" Everyone but Kakashi jumped as Kiba kicked a nearby candy-machine. A few chocolate bars rattled free and fell into the slot, but he ignored them as he paced. "He's _fucking_ with us! He starts off with bombs, and then goes to backdraft, and now flashovers?.!"

"Flashovers can't be set, they're a natural occurrence." Raidou insisted.

"It's still his fault!" Kiba hollered angrily. "He's the _fucking_ reason there was a flashover! He set that goddamn fire!"

"Kiba, you're not helping." Kotetsu whispered, rubbing his eyes.

The brunette growled but stopped talking, continuing to pace. The room fell silent once more, nobody having anything to say.

Naruto felt awkward. He hadn't known Zabuza very well, and he was sad he was gone, but everyone else in the room was so crushed by it. For him to not feel as crushed as them made him feel bad, and he wanted to leave. Right now.

The doors slammed open once again, everyone turning to them. A very dishevelled Neji was standing in the doorway wearing his bunker gear, seemingly having just finished putting out a fire. He'd probably just heard the news about a firefighter at Station Seven having died.

"Naruto." he breathed, closing his eyes and slumping against the door.

The blond stood up, Gaara echoing his action, and the three of them exited the room, closing the door. "I'm sorry for just barging in here like this, but I had to be sure."

"It's okay." Naruto whispered. "I just don't think now's a good time."

"Can you call Temari and Kankurou?" Gaara asked the Hyuuga. "I want to stay with my Captain until the Battalion Chief comes in, but I don't want them to worry."

"Of course." Neji nodded to him before turning back to Naruto. He put one hand on the blond's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm fine. I'll call you later."

"Okay." Naruto and Gaara turned back to the door, re-entering the room as Neji walked away. Now Naruto felt even _more_ awkward as he retook his seat.

The door at the opposite end of the room opened and Tsunade Sannin walked in. She put her hand on Naruto's shoulder as she passed him, and stopped in front of Kakashi. He didn't acknowledge her.

Iruka removed his arm from around Kakashi, moving away feeling slightly embarrassed, but Tsunade didn't care about their relationship. Truth be told, she'd heard through the grapevines they were an item, and right now, Kakashi needed all the comfort he could get, so she casually motioned for the Arson Investigator to return to his previous position. He did so with no hesitation.

"Captain Hatake, can you tell me what happened?" she inquired.

Kakashi didn't answer. Honestly, she hadn't expected him to. She let out a sigh and straightened, having already asked the others what had happened. He was the only one who knew the full extent, but from the looks of things, he wasn't going to be talking any time soon.

"You're all being relieved for the week." Tsunade whispered. "Go home. Get some rest."

She turned to leave, stopping beside Naruto who was staring at the ground. She sighed and bent down, kissing his head before continuing on out of the room.

"I'm gonna go tell Zabuza's wife and his kid." Raidou sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Fuck, I hate my job."

Everyone began to stand so they could leave, Kakashi and Iruka staying put.

As Sasuke exited the room, he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder.

"Hey."

He didn't turn, knowing who it was based on the voice. He wasn't in the mood right now.

"I don't have time for you." he stated coldly.

"Listen—you and I are about the same size." Sasuke frowned at this and turned to regard the blond. He was avoiding his gaze, his blue eyes lowered. "You can borrow my uniform. I still have my Station Twelve one from a few years back that got too small. I can probably still fit into it decently enough." Sasuke stared at him for a few seconds before turning away, Naruto's hand still on his shoulder.

"Thanks." he whispered before shrugging the hand off and walking away.

* * *

Iruka cast a glance at Kakashi as he drove, the other man staring blankly out the window. It had taken the Arson Investigator close to ten minutes before he could get the Captain to move. He was driving them home, now. They needed quality time. 

Shikamaru had told his supervisor he would return to headquarters and ask for Iruka to have a week's leave so he could spend some time with Kakashi. He offered to take on all the shifts Iruka was signed up for by himself. Chances were he'd be assigned a partner—probably Lee Rock.

The car ride home was done in silence, and Iruka was beginning to worry about Kakashi. The doctors had assured him the firefighter wasn't in shock, but the way Kakashi was acting was concerning the Arson Investigator. He'd even asked Hayate and Aoba to check him before he left, but they'd said the same thing. He wasn't in shock. He was upset.

_Devastated is more like it, _Iruka thought sadly, looking back at the road. It wouldn't do for him to get them both killed. _Kakashi had a close enough call tonight._

Iruka glanced at the time, noting it was almost two in the morning. Their shift wasn't even half-done yet.

The Arson Investigator's grip tightened on the steering wheel as he gritted his teeth angrily. What kind of sick person targeted people who were trying to help this world? Firefighters were good people, they risked their lives for others, yet this _asshole_ The Fan was killing them. Zabuza hadn't been the first, he'd only been the first from Station Seven.

Iruka turned smoothly, the car going up the small hill that was their driveway before he stopped the car and turned off the engine. He climbed out and walked around the car, opening Kakashi's door and bending down.

"Kakashi? We're home." he said in a low, soothing voice. When he got no response, he rubbed Kakashi's arm a bit. "Come on, 'Kashi. Let's go inside. I'll make you a bite to eat."

Kakashi was still for a few seconds, and then it seemed like his brain reconnected with the rest of him because he slowly shifted and put his feet down on the ground, standing with Iruka's help.

The smaller man kicked the car door shut before walking towards their front door, unlocking and opening it. Once they were inside, Kakashi pulled away from him and headed for the stairs. Concerned, Iruka followed. He wanted to make sure Kakashi didn't do anything stupid.

The two of them climbed the stairs, Kakashi walking slowly, Iruka mirroring his steps. Once the Captain reached the second floor, he headed for their bedroom, his feet dragging on the floor. Iruka waited a few seconds at the top of the landing before following. When he got inside the room, he found Kakashi standing in the middle of it, staring at the floor. He walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey." Kakashi turned his head slightly to look at Iruka. "Is there anything I can do?"

Without warning, Kakashi fell to his knees and began to sob into his hands. Iruka was so stunned it took him a few seconds to bend down and hug his lover. Kakashi hugged him back tightly, holding on to him for all he was worth.

"I couldn't save him!" he sobbed into Iruka's shoulder. "_God_ help me, I couldn't do _anything_!"

"It's not your fault. It's not your fault." Iruka whispered as he gently rocked Kakashi.

"He saved me! God, he threw me out that window and let himself _die_! We should've died together! We should've been together until the end, just like we always were back in school!"

"It's not your fault." Iruka continued to whisper.

When Sasuke came by an hour later, Kakashi and Iruka were still huddled together on the floor, Kakashi insisting it was all his fault.

* * *

Sasuke cut the engine to his Camaro and opened his door, exiting the sleek car. He reached up and removed his sunglasses, hanging them on the collar of his shirt as he made his way to the front door of the house before him. Two steps, and then he was in front of the door. He rapped on it, then waited. When no one answered, he knocked again. _Is he at work, maybe? Should I leave my key in his mailbox, or would that be a bad idea?_

As the Uchiha stood pondering his next move, someone appeared around the side of the house wearing a frown on his face.

"Can I help you?" Sasuke turned and the figure snorted. "Oh, it's _you_."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto as the blond turned and began to head back the way he'd come. Based on the dirty jeans, gardening gloves and absence of a shirt, Sasuke assumed he'd been working in his backyard.

"Hey, dumbass, wait up." Sasuke jumped off the front porch and jogged after Naruto, the blond not stopping. "I came to give you the key to one of my houses. I hid your engine in the garage."

"Gee, thanks." Naruto said as he walked through his side gate and into his backyard. Sasuke let out a growl as he followed, looking around.

The yard wasn't too big—about the average size of a backyard, a third of an acre. Naruto had a pool in the center with a back patio, complete with lawn chairs and a table. _I should think of getting myself a pool,_ Sasuke mused, never having thought about it. It would give him something to do on his sleepless nights.

"So," Sasuke turned back to Naruto, "what was the plan? I can't go pick up my engine since my car is _lacking_ said engine. I can't carry it over _here_, because I'd die. How did you want me to get it back?"

"That's your problem." Sasuke snapped.

"No, it's yours. _You're_ the one who took it in the first place." Naruto bit back. "How did you get it out of here, anyway?"

"I used a pickup truck. Zabuza—" Sasuke cut himself off painfully before gritting his teeth. "Zabuza helped me."

"Oh." Naruto rubbed his head uncomfortably. "Well, I guess I'll ask one of my guardians if I can borrow his truck."

"Here." Sasuke threw the key to Naruto. "It's 1224 Wilkins Street."

"Okay. Thanks."

"This doesn't mean we're friends or anything." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, Heaven forbid!" Naruto replied sweetly.

"Did you clean your house yet?" Sasuke leered. Naruto turned to glare at him.

"No, I thought straightening up my garden took priority." Naruto replied sarcastically. He was about to ask if Sasuke bought a new uniform, but bit his tongue. The funeral had been yesterday, and Naruto had already made Sasuke think of Zabuza once. The blond was bitter, not cruel.

"How long did it take you?" Sasuke smirked.

"Not that it's any of your business, but—you know, it really _isn't_ any of your business."

Sasuke's smug smirk fell right off his face, and he scowled at Naruto.

"You're such a dumbass."

"Well, tell me how you got in, and I'll tell you how long it took me to clean up." Naruto crossed his muscular arms over his sculpted chest.

"Fine." Sasuke snapped.

"Three hours."

"Hn." Sasuke thought about it for a few seconds. "Three hour cleanup for a five hour job. Not bad."

"Now how did you get in?" Naruto demanded.

"I pulled one of your windows open. Lock snapped right off." Sasuke smirked, but it slowly faded as he saw the look of pain on Naruto's face. He almost asked if he was okay, but stopped himself before the words left his mouth.

"Damn, I just had the front lock changed, I can't afford the window locks." Naruto muttered to himself with a frown. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head, seemingly forgetting Sasuke was even there. "I guess I can cut back on food."

Sasuke was stunned as he listened to the blond. He'd known Naruto wasn't exactly rolling in money, but he'd assumed he was at least a _little_ well-off, since he owned such a large and beautiful house. To hear Naruto talk about not eating as much hurt Sasuke more than he could understand why.

"Hey, brat!" Both heads turned as a blonde woman rounded the side of the house, letting out a slow whistle as she looked Naruto up and down. "Lookin' good, twit. Good to see you haven't stopped working out."

"What do you want, old hag?" Naruto crossed his arms again. Tsunade was about to speak when she noticed Sasuke.

"You're Sasuke Uchiha, right? Station Seven?"

"Yes ma'am." Sasuke replied to the woman who was their Battalion Chief.

"I'm sorry about Zabuza. He was a good man. I had a couple of drinks with him over the years." Sasuke grit his teeth, but nodded.

"Thank you. I'm sorry about it, too."

"Well, good to know you're taking advantage of your time off." She looked back at Naruto, smirking slightly. "Your friend here trying to make you stop working so you can both go swimming?"

"We're not friends." Naruto and Sasuke said simultaneously. They then shot a look at each other before glaring and looking away. Tsunade cocked an eyebrow and resisted the urge to laugh.

"Well, I came over to check up on you." Tsunade said as she shoved her hands in the pockets of her cleanly pressed black pants.

"I'm twenty-five, Tsunade, I don't need a babysitter anymore." Naruto reminded. "But since you're here, can you ask Jiraiya to come over later with his pickup? I'm gonna need his help with something."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that." Tsunade pointed one finger at the blond. "What happened to your car? You didn't sell it so you could have extra money, did you?" She narrowed her eyes.

"No, I didn't. I think Sasuke can answer that question, though." Naruto turned to the raven with a smirk, Sasuke throwing him the filthiest glare he possessed before turning to Tsunade.

"We were joking around. I stole his engine."

"You stole his engine." Tsunade said slowly before shaking her head. "Kids."

"Are you done?"

"Don't act so disrespectful, brat." Tsunade snapped. "I also came to..." she trailed off, casting a glance at Sasuke. The Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "How you doing—you know, money-wise."

"Oh, I'm fine." Naruto laughed, waving one hand at her. Sasuke's head snapped back as he stared at Naruto in disbelief. "Actually, I've got more than I anticipated."

"Not gonna starve to death, are you?" Tsunade teased. Sasuke was pretty sure he was the only one who noticed the wince.

"No. I'm good. Got it covered for at _least_ a month."

"Okay." Tsunade shrugged. "If you're sure. You know you can always ask for help if you need it, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Naruto replied. "But for now, I'm okay."

"You sure?" Both blonds turned to Sasuke and Naruto paled as he just realized Sasuke had been there when he'd been talking about cutting back on food.

"What do you mean by that?" Tsunade asked, confused.

"Nothing." Naruto blurted out before laughing, both hands locked behind his head. "I was just trying to freak him out earlier, so I told him I had no money and was going to starve. Good acting, huh?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe a word coming out of the blond's mouth, and based on the look Tsunade was giving him, she didn't believe him, either.

"We'll talk more later, Naruto." she said as she turned and began to walk away. "For the time being, enjoy the weather with your friend."

"We're not friends!" Naruto and Sasuke hollered after her.

"Yeah, yeah." She waved over her shoulder as she smirked to herself. "Not _yet_." she said quietly as she turned the corner.

The two firefighters stood where they were, staring at the corner Tsunade had disappeared behind. After a few seconds, they looked at each other again before their eyes widened and they turned away from each other, Naruto crossing his arms and Sasuke shoving them in his pockets.

"Are you _done_?" Naruto demanded.

"Yes. Get your engine out of my garage." Sasuke snapped as he headed for the side of the house so he could leave.

"Then don't fucking _steal_ it next time, jackass!" Naruto hollered after him as Sasuke turned the corner.

The raven let out a sigh as he shook his head, heading for the front. "What is _wrong_ with me?" he muttered to himself as he clenched and unclenched his fists in his pockets. He'd only noticed once he'd turned away that he'd spent the entire time with Naruto staring at the blond's toned chest.

* * *

Naruto let out a long sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck, walking through the Wal-Mart parking lot to his car. He patted it on the hood before unlocking his door and getting in. He was glad to have his baby back. He'd missed it. 

He pulled out of the lot and headed for home, calculating his money in his head. He was on leave from the firehouse because of Zabuza. That was ending in about three days, so he'd be able to earn his paycheck again. Meanwhile, he'd gotten a ten cent raise from Wal-Mart. Although ten cents didn't _seem_ like very much, every cent counted to the blond.

"Guess I won't be eating very much ramen." Naruto sighed as he turned and headed down his street.

A frown slowly made its way onto his face as he noticed the huge truck parked outside his house, two men sitting on his front porch, smoking and chatting. Naruto turned onto his driveway and parked his car, the two men standing up as he exited it.

"Can I help you?" he inquired as he slammed his car door and locked it.

"Are you Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yes." he replied uncertainly, hoping to God it wasn't more reporters.

"Want to sign here, please?" One of the men held out a clipboard and a pen as Naruto came closer. He looked down at the sheet, noting the top of it said 'Loeb', which was one of the larger food stores in the area.

"There must be some kind of mistake. I didn't order anything from Loeb."

"We know. It's a present or something." the man not holding the clipboard said with a shrug. "We were given a list of food items, they were paid for, and then we were each given fifty bucks to come here and wait until you returned home. We weren't to leave until you signed for this food and brought it all inside."

"But—who the heck would do that?" Naruto asked, mostly himself.

"They wouldn't say. You gonna sign, or what?"

Still a bit sceptical, Naruto read and signed the sheet before him as the two men went to the truck and opened it up.

"Where do you want the freezer?"

"Freezer?" Naruto asked, stunned.

"Yeah, there was a freezer bought, too. It's to store all the meat."

Naruto's head spun as he processed everything he'd just heard. Someone had bought him what seemed to be a truck-full of food, _plus_ a freezer? And the person hadn't given their name? What the heck was going on?.!

"The basement." Naruto motioned the font door vaguely. "Bring it to the basement."

"Will do."

The blond walked up to his house and unlocked the door, leaving it open for the Loeb people. He sat down in his living room, frowning. He couldn't figure out who would buy him all this food, and _why_.

"Well, it's obviously a friend." he mumbled, thoughtfully. "Neji, maybe? He's pretty loaded. Maybe he heard about me having to replace my window locks. He knows I end up starving myself when I'm short on money."

Naruto sat in his living room, watching the men bring food in. He was surprised to find a lot of the food was stuff he liked. There was a lot of ramen, a hell of a lot of meat, even some ice cream. And his favourite flavour, too!

_Yup,_ the blond thought. _It's gotta be Neji._

* * *

Sasuke leaned back on his elbows as he sat on the roof across the street from Naruto's. The men from Loeb were bringing in the last of the food. Sasuke just hoped Gaara hadn't lied about any of the blond's favourite things. After all, Sasuke wasn't his friend, so how was _he_ supposed to know what Naruto liked? 

Sasuke had asked Gaara earlier that morning about Naruto's food preferences. The redhead had obliged, although reluctantly. He was worried Sasuke was going to try and poison his best friend. Sasuke assured him this wasn't the case, but he refused to tell Gaara why he _really_ wanted to know.

Now the raven wasn't doing this because he liked Naruto. _Hell_ no! He _hated_ that annoyingly arrogant, gorgeous, sexy, tanned, blond man. No doubt about it, this had _nothing_ to do with him liking Naruto. He was only doing it because if the blond cut back on food, he wouldn't perform as well during fires. Yes. That's right. That was the _only_ reason.

"I don't like him." he reassured himself out loud. "No way. He's annoying, and loud, and basically like a clone of Kiba. Except he's blond. And very hot. And incredibly muscled."

_You're doing it again,_ Sasuke's inner voice sighed.

"Doing what?"

_If you don't like him, why is he all you ever think about?_

"He's not _all_ I ever think about." Sasuke growled.

_Yes, he is. What did you just say about him? You called him hot, and sexy, and—you forgot well-endowed, but I **know** you were thinking it._

"You're crazy."

_You're the one having a conversation with yourself. Weigh it._

Sasuke growled, shaking his head. He was _not_ falling for that blond idiot. No way! _And even if I **was**, which I'm **not**, _Sasuke thought to himself, _he probably isn't even gay, **nor** does he like me. So, problem solved. _

The raven stood up as the Loeb men got into their truck and drove away. He then fell back down hurriedly to avoid being seen by Naruto, who'd been standing in the doorway. He didn't seem to have seen him, and Sasuke prayed to God the blond never found out he had done this. After all, Naruto had freaked out and insisted he didn't need Sasuke's charity over two dollars and ten cents. _Two dollars and ten cents_, for crying out loud!

"If he finds out I spent over six-hundred dollars on that freezer _and_ all that food, he'll go ape-shit on my ass." Sasuke muttered aloud.

_He won't find out,_ Sasuke thought, reassuring himself. _He thinks I hate him._

"I _do_ hate him."

_Stop denying it and go home! Go jack off or something, you're sexually frustrated!_

"I must be going crazy." Sasuke muttered as he carefully made his way off the roof, Naruto having gone inside. "I'm talking to myself. And it even _seems_ like a conversation cause half is out loud and the other half isn't."

_Maybe you have multiple personalities?_

"Very possible." Sasuke sighed. "Now shut up."

Sasuke pulled his helmet on over his head before swinging his leg over the side of his bike, revving the engine and zooming down the street. He didn't work with Naruto for another three days, and to _prove_ to himself that he did _not_ like Naruto, he wasn't going to see the blond until then.

Well, of course, it wasn't _his_ fault if he happened to run out of, say, mayonnaise and had to go to Wal-Mart to pick some up. Mere coincidence that he'd go _right_ when Naruto started his shift. After all, it wasn't like he _paid_ the manager for Naruto's schedule or anything.

"Oh, God, I'm turning into a stalker." Sasuke muttered with a sigh. "I don't want someone else to lose."

_Looks like this time, I don't have a choice. Sasuke, you've fallen. Hard._


	6. Fantasy

**A/N: You know, I've been wondering where all my humour went while I was writing the Roommates sequel, and then I realized there's no humour in THAT because I'm putting all the humour HERE...**

**Disclaimer- :runs out of the room crying for being reminded again and again by K. Masashi that Kiba is **_**his**_**:**

* * *

Kiba looked around before quietly creeping towards the coffee machine. Kakashi said he was hyper enough without the added caffeine, therefore he never let him have any. But when Kakashi wasn't there—it was fair game. Kiba smirked as he grabbed a mug, poured some coffee into it, and put the rim to his lips.

"Where is he?.!" The door slammed open and Kiba spat what little coffee he had in his mouth out before dropping his mug. It shattered as it hit the floor, coffee spraying everywhere.

"N-Naruto?" he asked, stunned, as the blond ran up to him and hid behind him, a look of panic in his eyes. "Wha—?"

"Where _is_ he?.!"

"Who?" Kiba asked, confused. Naruto spun him around, grabbed his collar, and shook him.

"Don't give me that! You know who I'm talking about!"

"No, I really don't." Kiba insisted.

"_Sasuke_!" Naruto exclaimed, and then gasped before turning Kiba around and hiding behind him again, as if the mere _name_ frightened him.

"What's up with you?" the brunette demanded, utterly confused.

"He follows me! _Everywhere_! I go to work, and he's there. I go home, and he's there. Heck, I'm surprised he doesn't follow me into the _shower_!" Naruto's eyes widened. "Unless he put a camera in! Oh my God, I have to shower with him _here_! Save me!" He began shaking Kiba from behind.

"You're over-exaggerating." the brunette insisted as he let the blond man shake him.

"Oh yeah? Did you pick Sasuke up this morning?.! Did you?.! Huh?.!" Naruto demanded.

Kiba frowned. "Come to think of it, I was _wondering_ why he wasn't there. Even honked my horn five times." He turned to Naruto with a sheepish grin. "His neighbour threw a tomato at my windshield."

"Good morning!" Genma burst out as he slammed into the main room from the rig bay. "How are you doing this fine Wednesday morning, Naruto? Good? Good!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Kiba grumbled as he grabbed a wet cloth and began to pick up the broken pieces of his coffee mug.

"Good morning." Raidou said as he followed Genma in, nodding to Naruto and Kiba. "The Captain here, yet?"

"No." Kiba grumbled. "But he _will_ be by the time I clean this up, and I won't be able to have any coffee."

"You don't _need_ any coffee!" Genma chirped as he grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup.

"No, _you_ don't need any coffee." Kiba insisted with a glare. "But you go ape-shit when you're not allowed any."

"It's true." Genma sighed with a pleasant smile on his face before taking a large gulp. "_Man_ that tastes good."

"Yeah, rub it in, Genma. Rub it in." Kiba growled.

"Does this mean you're _finally_ willing to sleep with me?.!" Genma asked excitedly, putting his mug on the counter as Kiba's eyes widened.

"It's a figure of speech, man! _A figure of __**speech**_!"

"Morning, Naruto." a smooth voice said from right behind the blond.

Naruto let out a shriek before jumping away and hiding behind Genma, pointing one accusing finger at the grinning raven. "Wh-why are you _following_ me, you pervert?.!"

"You're calling _me_ a pervert?" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow before motioning the man Naruto was hiding behind. "I'm not the one who tries to molest you in the shower."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, confused. Suddenly, Genma wrapped his arms around Naruto, holding him tightly.

"Don't worry, Naruto. _I'll_ protect you!" His hands lowered and he clenched Naruto's butt-cheeks through his pants.

Naruto let out another shriek.

"Get him off! Get him off!"

* * *

All heads snapped up as the intercom in the firehouse went off.

"_This is an automatic alarm for Engine Seven, Truck Ten, and Battalion One. Need you to go to 2432 Valin Drive. Have a report of their fire alarm system going off."_

"All right, men. Let's go." Kakashi called as they all ran to the bay and jumped into their bunker gear. Kakashi felt his heart clench as Kotetsu jumped behind the wheel of Truck Ten—the place Zabuza used to occupy—but he let it slide and got into Engine Seven. Now wasn't the time to be thinking of his old friend.

The two rigs screeched out of the bay, their sirens blaring as the four paramedics watched them leave.

Since this wasn't an official fire, Medic Eight hadn't been called out. They would only be sent to the location if there were casualties due to an actual fire. If the fire was certain, they didn't need a call to go out, but in cases such as these, nine times out of ten, fire alarms going off were false alarms. But there was always the tenth.

As Truck Ten got closer, Izumo—who was in the passenger seat—squinted his eyes before cursing. He grabbed the CB radio and hit the talk button to speak with his captain.

"Kakashi, we're going to need more rigs, cause it looks like we're having a barbecue."

"Shit." Kakashi cursed as he changed the channel to call it in. He informed the dispatcher that they had a live fire and were going to need more rigs as well as their medic.

Fifteen seconds later, Medic Eight screeched out of Station Seven, leaving the bay silent and empty.

They were far behind the two rigs, having received the call later, but Aoba could still see the flashing lights of the two bigger rigs as they lumbered down the streets.

As soon as Engine Seven screeched to a halt in front of the burning building, Kakashi jumped out to regard it. It wasn't too bad, probably just someone playing with matches somewhere. Definitely not the work of any arsonist.

"Oh, thank God you have arrived!" A man ran towards Kakashi in a green jumpsuit, bouncing around worriedly before pointing at the building on fire. "That's my gym! Save it!"

"We'll do everything we can, sir. Please step back." Kakashi insisted as he pushed the man to a safer distance.

"But you do not understand! This place is filled with youthful love and energy! You must save it for it to continue to thrive off the love and health of others!"

"Yes, sir. Please, step back." Kakashi ordered. He was starting to lose his patience.

Sasuke and Naruto had already pulled out the hose, the blond unravelling it while Kiba and Sasuke snapped their masks into place before crawling into the gloom.

"**So, where were you this morning, Death?"** Kiba inquired as he followed close behind the other firefighter.

"**None of your business."** was the clipped reply.

"**Aw, come on, man. Tell me. I got a tomato thrown at my windshield. You owe me."** Kiba said as he almost bumped into Sasuke, the other man having stopped.

"**Now's really not the time to be discussing this, Wolfgang." **Sasuke snapped as he got on his knees and readied the hose. Kiba pressed into his back. **"Charge the line!"**

Upon hearing the order, Naruto turned the water on and inside, Sasuke opened the nozzle, bucking back into Kiba. The brunette let out a grunt.

"**Shit, man, you gotta lose some weight."**

"**Ladies!" **Kakashi's voice snapped over the radio. **"This is not a social call! This is a **_**fire**_**!" **he reminded them.

"**Sorry, Scarecrow."** Kiba mumbled as he and Sasuke moved further into the building, chasing the fire into a corner.

* * *

An hour and a half later, and the small fire was put out, all of them thankful that The Fan hadn't had anything to do with it. The members of Engine Seven went back to the Station while Truck Ten stayed behind for overhaul, something which Genma had fought against violently.

"But if _I _stay here, who's going to molest Naruto in the shower?.! We all know it's the best part of his day!"

The blond had gone inside briefly with Gaara to relieve Kiba and Sasuke, and even though they had been inside for half the time Sasuke and Kiba had been, they still needed a shower. And since Genma wasn't at the Station, everyone was going to use this time to their advantage.

Well, _almost_ everyone.

"What are you doing?" Kiba asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Naruto was sitting on his assigned bed, a towel around his waist and his hands clasped together as he stared at the floor. His eyes were wide, as if he were watching some kind of horror movie and couldn't see any possible way the director would give it a happy ending. Kiba was slightly concerned, but when he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, the blond let out a shout before jumping away.

"Whoa!" Kiba jerked his hand away. "Man, what's _wrong_ with you? You've been acting weird all day."

"He's in the shower." Naruto whispered.

"Genma isn't here." Kiba reminded him.

Naruto was suddenly on his feet, grabbing Kiba by the bare shoulders and shaking him. "Not _Genma_! _Sasuke_!"

"Why are you scared of him? He hasn't tried to molest you."

"Not _yet_!" Naruto exclaimed. "Just you wait! Give him the opportunity and _wham_!" Kiba jumped as Naruto clapped his hands right in front of his face.

"I thought you were gay, anyway. Why is this such a problem?" Kiba scratched his head, getting exasperated. He wanted to shower before their next call came in.

"I'm _bi_, Kiba! Being bi-sexual and being gay are two _completely_ different things!"

"Uh huh." Kiba replied slowly before inching around Naruto. "Well, _you_ can stay out here and smell like fire until Genma comes back to molest you, or you can come inside and stop being a pansy. Your call." Kiba walked into the bathroom, pulling his towel off as he did so. (1)

Naruto whined where he stood, looking at the door to the bunk-room before looking at the bathroom door. It was true. Between Genma and Sasuke—the raven was the lesser of two evils.

"Great. Just fucking great." Naruto grumbled as he ran one hand through his blond locks and then entered the bathroom.

He threw his towel off and trudged purposefully towards the shower right beside Gaara, ensuring to put himself between the redhead and the door, so he could make a hasty retreat should Sasuke suddenly turn into Genma. He avoided all eye-contact with Sasuke, not even sure if the raven was looking at him.

Surprisingly enough, he wasn't, but that was because the Uchiha had noticed Kiba watching him, and he didn't want the dog-lover to know he had a thing for the blond. After all, he'd done nothing in front of him as of yet that would _prove_ he liked Naruto, and he planned on keeping it that way. And just to prove it, he'd left Naruto a little surprise.

"What the fuck is this?.!" Naruto hollered from the other side of the shower room. Everyone turned to him, including Kakashi.

Naruto was looking down into his hand, his other holding his shampoo bottle. He'd just squeezed some of the shampoo into his hand only to find it clumpier than usual. Upon closer inspection, he'd recognized it to be hair-dye. To be precise, _blond_ hair-dye.

"I could see your roots starting to show." Sasuke teased from across the small room, speaking loudly to be heard over the sound of water hitting tile. "I thought I'd be nice and provide you with some hair-dye."

"I'm a natural blond, you fucking asshole!" Naruto hollered, pointing at his groin. He immediately regretted it, because he'd just given Sasuke permission to look, and hastily turned around, blushing a deep red before grumbling to Gaara that he needed to borrow some shampoo. The redhead gave it to him with a shadow of a smile on his face.

Kakashi leaned towards Kiba. "I believe you have a tally to fix." He smiled.

"Sasuke, two. Naruto, one." Kiba grinned.

* * *

Seven hours and forty-five minutes later, after a full day of rushing to accidents, putting out fires, and resetting automatic alarms, the crew of Station Seven only had fifteen minutes left before they were off for the night. They had the day shift tomorrow, but that started around three in the afternoon, so Naruto was confident he and Neji could go out for some beers.

Just as Naruto was imagining the cool liquid flowing easily down his throat—the speaker popped and he let out a loud groan before rushing into the bay and jumping into his gear, only half-listening to the announcement being made on the speaker.

Once everyone was in Engine Seven, they rushed off, and Naruto realized it was an accident as opposed to a fire—this being evident, since Truck Ten wasn't joining them, but Medic Eight was.

And, sure enough, when they arrived at the scene, there was a four-car pile-up. Luckily, it didn't seem anyone was hurt, but a few of the drivers were yelling at one another. That was when Naruto grinned, because he recognized the two cops telling them to calm down.

Even though the two of them weren't assigned to Station Twelve's district when Naruto worked there, he knew them both quite well. He would be willing to bet his house that Neji knew they were the cops assigned to Station Seven's district, and he hadn't told him because he wanted him back.

"Listen here, you little bitch—" One of the drivers growled as he pointed one finger at one of the cops.

"You will _not_ raise your voice to a police officer!" The other cop snapped, slapping the offending hand away. "Would you like to go to jail? Is that what you want?"

"She's being unfair!" The driver insisted as Naruto climbed out of the rig, his jacket and helmet still inside. He was wearing nothing but his bunker pants and a black shirt, his suspenders hanging off their hooks on either side of his pants.

The driver reached out to grab the cop but she moved quickly and without warning. She grabbed his wrist, twisting it brutally before jerked him around and thrusting his own arm up his back before smashing him face-first into the hood of his car.

"Still picking on the small-fry, huh, Hinata?" Naruto smirked as he meandered towards the lithe young woman.

Hinata Hyuuga, Neji's cousin, turned from her position holding the struggling man down, not relinquishing her hold. Upon seeing Naruto, she blushed cutely.

"H-hi, Naruto." She stuttered. "Neji told me you might be transferring to Seven, but he told me not to tell you I worked this district, or else you'd never leave."

"It's true." Naruto chuckled. "We all know I like you better than that butt-head." Hinata's blush darkened.

Naruto was just about to continue his conversation when someone grabbed the back of his shirt and wrenched him backwards. He let out a yelp, but it was ignored as he was dragged back to the rig and Kiba pulled him around the back so they were out of sight.

"Ow." Naruto whined.

"Y-you _know_ her?" Kiba asked, dumbfounded.

"Of course I know her." Naruto frowned. "She's Neji's cousin. I practically grew up with her because of Neji. She's like a little sister." He frowned. "Well, kind of. Hard for her to be a little sister when she's a few months older than me, but she acts so young and cute I can't—" Naruto was cut off as Kiba grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forward so they were almost nose to nose.

"Will you introduce me to her?" He whispered, his eyes wide. "I've been working in Station Seven forever and I've seen her every time the cops have been called, but I've never had enough courage to introduce myself."

Naruto snorted. "She's the easiest person ever to get along with."

"But her partner scares me." Kiba whispered. Naruto laughed.

"Shino Aburame? He's always stone-faced. He's a little like Gaara."

"I knew it! He'll kill me!" Kiba clutched his head and Naruto just laughed.

"Minus the homicidal tendencies." Naruto smirked. "Shino's like her brother. He and I have the same relationship with her. When we were kids, he was the only person other than me who didn't treat her badly. We let her hang out with us and Neji all the time. Shino used to be her neighbour and—being the protective big brother he was—he joined the police force when he found out she was. It's kind of funny how everyone here is interconnected somehow." Naruto smiled.

"I guess." Kiba shrugged. "Me and Raidou and Genma. Sasuke and Kakashi. You, Gaara, Neji, Hinata and Shino. Kakashi and Zabu—" Kiba cut himself off, bitting his lip, hard.

"Sorry." Naruto winced. "Come on, I'll introduce you." He patted Kiba on the shoulder before leading him back around the rig.

Naruto walked up to the two police officers who were busy getting one of the drivers into the back-seat of a police cruiser, other officers talking to the other drivers.

"Hey, Hinata! Shino! You guys must know Kiba, right?" Naruto motioned the brunette he had one arm wrapped around. "He works for Station Seven."

"I recall seeing him before." Shino replied. "Good to see you, Uzumaki."

"S'been a while, eh, Bug-boy?" Naruto grinned.

"It has. A full two days."

"Two days?" Kiba asked with a frown.

"Shino shops at Wal-Mart, where my other job is. I always give him discounts." Naruto whispered. "Don't tell anyone."

"It's nice to formally meet you, Kiba." Hinata said in a small, shy voice. "I'm Hinata Hyuuga. This is my partner, Shino Aburame."

Hinata had an advantage in her line of work. When people saw her, they immediately categorized her as a shy, weak girl. But once you messed with her, you learned never to do it again. She was lethal in every respect, whether it be with her fists, or with her guns. Naruto remembered never having beaten her when they were kids. Not once. He used to sulk about it, but then she started making him cookies, and he forgot all about it. Hinata always was kind at heart, and never used force unless she had to.

"How's Sabaku doing?" Shino inquired, not having spoken to Gaara in a while.

"He's good." Naruto nodded, before frowning. "I think." He turned to yell a the redhead still by the rig. "Yo, Raccoon-Eyes, you okay?" He received a grunt. "Yeah, he's okay."

"He appears bored." Shino commented. "Perhaps we should go talk to him."

"Hey, good idea." Naruto grinned as he hit Kiba in the back. "Why don't you help Hinata out?" He turned as the brunette sputtered, he and Shino headed back for the rig.

"You can still read my mind, Shino." Naruto smirked at him. "Knew right away I wanted to leave them alone together."

"Is he trustworthy?" Shino inquired.

"Of course."

"He is nice?"

"Always."

"Straight?"

"Duh." Naruto rolled his eyes as they reached Gaara, leaning back against the rig beside his friend. "Yo."

"Hello, Gaara."

"Shino." The other boy acknowledged.

"So, you coming out with us tonight, Gaara?" Naruto asked as he poked the redhead in the cheek. Gaara's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't say anything. "Come on, Raccoon-Eyes. You know you _want_ to." Naruto continued to poke him.

Sasuke had to admit, the more he watched Naruto, the more impressed he became. The blond was probably the only person on the planet who could poke at a dragon continuously and not get barbecued or chomped. Sasuke remembered what Kakashi had told him when he'd first met Gaara, "Do not anger dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup." (2)

Sasuke was smart enough to read between the lines.

* * *

Naruto let out a cheer before bouncing around happily, returning to his table to grab his beer and raise it in the air before downing it.

"Three bulls eyes in a row." Tenten grumbled, crossing her arms. "I _still_ insist you cheated."

"I do not cheat." Naruto insisted, turning to Neji. "Do I cheat?"

"Only when it comes to relationships." Neji teased before taking a sip of his beer—which he effectively got all down his front when Naruto hit him across the back of the head.

"Bastard! Just cause you're getting married and can't go around anymore is no reason to be bitter towards us single folk."

"The way you're going, you'll be single for the rest of your life." Kiba called from the other end of the table, his arm draped across the back of Hinata's chair.

"This may be true, my furry friend, but I won't have _him_ to worry about when I start dating his cousin." Naruto motioned Neji with a smirk. "Or him." He then motioned Shino. Both men were watching Kiba intently, and the brunette gulped. Hinata just blushed sweetly. They weren't dating, as Kiba kept reminding them.

"Yet!" Naruto hollered back to the comment for the fifth time. "_Yet_, my canine friend!"

"Stop associating me with dogs, dammit!" Kiba hollered, waving one fist at Naruto.

"Ah, but that is what you are." Naruto smirked. "A dog."

"Uzumaki, don't piss him off." Gaara stated monotonously with his arms crossed. "We'll have to live with him tomorrow, and I'll kill you."

"No you won't." Naruto smirked as he took a sip of beer, only to spit it back out. "Hide me!" He flew under the table, Gaara pushing away from it with a jerk at having Naruto so close to his crotch.

"What is it?" Tenten asked as she looked around. "Oh, look! Kakashi, Iruka, Shikamaru and—"

"Wave them over, and I kill you!" Naruto hissed from beneath the table.

"Naruto insists Sasuke follows him around." Kiba whispered to the paramedic.

"He does!" Naruto's head poked out from under the table. "Look at him. Is he glancing casually around the bar, or looking intently for something? Or _someone_?.!"

The group complied and looked over at the two firefighters and two Arson Investigators. They had to admit, Sasuke _did_ appear to be looking around in such a way that would suggest he was searching for someone. As soon as his eyes landed on Kiba, he smirked and tapped Kakashi, motioning the table the others were at.

"Is he coming?" Naruto whispered from beneath the table as the four men made their way towards their table.

"Yes."

"Make them leave!" Naruto insisted to Neji. "You're scary! Make them scared!"

"Hi." Neji looked up and was face to face with a hand. "I don't believe we've met. My name is Sasuke Uchiha. You must be Tenten's fiancé."

"Neji Hyuuga." Neji shook his hand.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Kakashi asked with a smile, one arm around Iruka's waist.

"Not at all." Neji replied politely as a, "Yes!" appeared out of nowhere. Sasuke just smirked knowingly.

The four men pulled up another table and sat down, those who didn't know each other introducing themselves. After a few minutes, they all fell into easy conversation, since most of them shared the same or similar professions. Shino and Shikamaru got into a heated discussion over whose job was more important, and Iruka commented on the fact that he'd never seen Shikamaru talk so much since he found it to be 'too troublesome'.

"So, Kiba," Sasuke motioned Hinata, "I don't think I've met your girlfriend."

Hinata blushed sweetly and Kiba cocked an eyebrow, clearly asking the raven what he wanted. Sasuke just continued to smirk, as he had been doing since he sat down—his foot pushing harder against the hand it was currently stepping on. He had to admit, he was curious to see how long it would be before Naruto would cry out.

"This is Hinata Hyuuga. She's one of the police officers in our district."

"I thought I'd seen you before." Sasuke smiled, his foot pushing down even harder. He was sure he'd be hearing bones crack, soon.

That was when Sasuke felt it. The distinct pressure of something clamping down hard on his shin. It took him only a split second to react.

"Ow!" Sasuke hollered before pushing his chair back from the table and looking down at the angry blond right at his feet. "Did you _bite_ me, you little shit?.!"

"Yes, I _did_!" Naruto replied with a glare.

"Naruto?" Iruka asked, utterly confused. He was probably the only one who hadn't noticed the blond beneath the table. "Whatever are you doing down there?"

"Pleasuring Sasuke." Kakashi answered easily as he rubbed Iruka's arm.

The blond sputtered and Sasuke let a smirk form on his face at Kakashi's words. He'd have to remember to thank his foster brother later. Even _he_ wouldn't have been able to think that one up so quickly.

"I was not!" Naruto hollered, red in the face both from anger and embarrassment. "If you _must_ know, I was _hiding_."

"From what?" Iruka asked with a frown.

"Me." Sasuke smirked. "The idiot has some kind of fantasy where he thinks I'm in love with him. _Where_ he got this idea, I'll never know."

"Fantasy?" Naruto asked as he stumbled out from beneath the table. "_Fantasy_?.! You're the one perched on the roof across the street day-in, day-out! You're the one who paid my _manager_ for my Wal-Mart schedule! Fuck, I wouldn't be surprised if you had a camera in my _bathroom_!"

"Two, actually. I like catching both angles." Sasuke teased, emitting a snicker from Kiba. Naruto's sharp glare shut him up.

"You are as perverted as Genma, except he'll openly admit it." Naruto glared at Sasuke, right in front of him, now. "If you don't stop _right_ now, I swear to God, I'll—"

Naruto was cut off as Sasuke discretely tripped the already unsteady blond, causing him to fall into the raven's lap, his lips conveniently at the same level as Sasuke's. Without hesitation, the raven leaned forward slightly and kissed the blond on the lips, Naruto jerking back with a gasp and running the back of his hand across his lips.

"Ew! You see! Did you see that?.!" Naruto hollered.

"I saw you lose your balance and fall onto his lap." Neji replied easily, honestly not having seen the trip _or_ the deliberate kiss. In fact, the only people who'd caught both actions were Kiba and Kakashi, and that was only because they knew the raven so well.

"It's your fantasy, _Uzumaki_." Sasuke teased.

"I'll _fucking _get you!" Naruto hollered as he stumbled around the chair, pointing at Sasuke. "I will! Just you wait!" He headed for the door, turned, and headed back towards the table. "Gaara, I caught a ride with you. Let's go."

Without a word, the redhead stood up and followed his furious friend out of the bar, silently smiling to himself. He knew Naruto wasn't nearly as angry as he seemed to be.

Kakashi leaned towards Kiba with a smile. "Sasuke, three." the Captain whispered.

"Naruto, one." Kiba grinned back.

They clinked their beers together before taking a sip each and returning to the various conversations.

* * *

(1) Naked... Kiba... :drools on keyboard:

(2) This quote was something I vaguely remembered reading somewhere on the vast array of the interweb, but I couldn't remember the exact wording so I changed it. Then I found the quote again stating it was from an anonymous source and the actual wording is "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup." _Then_, someone brought it to my attention that this quote is _not_ actually anonymous and comes from the author Sherrilyn Kenyons. So, in a kind of roundabout twist of words kind of way, this quote is hers :P (http : // www . coolquotescollection . com / fantasy 1 . aspx Remove the spaces, and that's where I re-found the quote where it still stated it was anonymous, though above it, it shows JRR Tolkien using a similar quote O_o I like the dragon one better, personally XD)


	7. What Is It About Him?

**Disclaimer: If Naruto were mine as opposed to K. Masashi's... This fic would NOT be fanfiction... Imagine... the Naruto characters as firefighters... :drenches keyboard with drool:**

* * *

Naruto lazily put all the merchandise through on his cash, glancing at the time. He was off in about twenty minutes. Then, he had two hours before he had to go to the Station. He could shower, catch a quick nap, and then make it there in time for his shift.

"Forty-two eighty." he said to the customer, the large woman on the other side of the cash handing him money. He counted out the change and told her to have a nice day before beginning to ring through the next bunch of items.

"Did you find everything you were looking for?" he asked without looking up.

"I found what I was looking for the second I walked in."

Naruto's head snapped up to meet a pair of emotionless onyx eyes.

"What do you want?" He narrowed his eyes at his customer. He'd had him for a while, almost a year. He always harassed Naruto in ways one man should _not_ harass another when they were complete strangers. Sasuke and Naruto at least were acquainted. Naruto knew _nothing _about this man, but he had the feeling this man knew a lot about _him_.

"I'm shopping. Is this not what one does when entering a store?"

"You were told not to come through my cash ever again. We refrained from putting out a restraining order, but rest assured, it _will _be done if you don't comply."

"Do you not like me?" the man inquired as he leaned forward, a smirk beginning to form on his features.

"Actually, I hate you. I don't even _know_ you and I hate you. Please go to another cash."

"And if I don't?"

Naruto shrugged and picked up the phone beside him, dialling in a store-wide page. "Can I have any available duty manager or CSM to cash eight for customer assistance. That's any available duty manager or CSM to cash eight for customer assistance, thank you."

He hung the phone back up and cocked an eyebrow at the man on the other side of the cash.

"This doesn't bother me. I just like staring at you. So whether or not you ring my stuff through is of no importance."

Naruto winced as one of his managers came up. The second she saw the man on the other side of the cash, she scowled.

"Naruto, take your fifteen." she ordered.

The blond signed out of his cash and left the area, walking through the store and looking over his shoulder at the man who continued to harass him. His eyes were locked on Naruto, even though the manager was talking to him. Naruto winced and looked away.

He made his way to Electronics and leaned against the counter as he watched Temari playing a video game. She didn't seem to even know he was there, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get away from the man at the front.

"Was he there again?" Naruto looked at Temari, stunned, as she spoke, her back still to him as she continued playing the game.

"Huh?"

"The guy. The one who freaks you out. Was it him?"

"Yeah." Naruto sighed, running his hand through his hair. "How did you know?"

"I heard your page. You sounded strained." She turned her head slightly to look at him. "I could tell."

"Yeah." Naruto sighed, leaning forward on the counter. "Even Sasuke isn't as bad as him."

"Speaking of which, I saw him wandering around earlier." Temari scowled as a car got in front of her own in the racing game she was playing.

"Great." Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

"_Would Naruto please report to cash eight. That's Naruto to cash eight, thank you."_

"Guess my so-called fifteen is over." He smirked at Temari.

"You know Susan. She probably just said it to make the bastard think you would be away from the front for longer than he thought."

"This is true. I'll see you later."

"You sure will." Temari turned to wink at him before he waved and walked away.

As soon as Naruto got back to the front end to head to his cash, he groaned as he noticed Sasuke frowning and looking up and down the rows of cashiers. _Ten guesses what he's looking for, and nine don't count,_ Naruto thought with a sigh as he made his way back to his cash. He dodged Sasuke as best he could, getting back to his cash and thanking Susan as she left.

He logged back in and smiled as he served his next customer. Two minutes later, he was greeted with yet another person who annoyed him to no end. Sasuke had found him. Again.

"Aren't you supposed to ask if I found everything all right?" Sasuke smirked.

"Look, asshole." Naruto hissed as he scanned Sasuke's items through. "I've already got one person stalking me, and that's _not_ cool. I don't know what people's fascination with me is, but it's gotta stop. Seriously. I'm getting pissed off. I've had just about enough of you and your idiotic pranks, and I've had enough of seeing you everywhere I go." Naruto practically hurled Sasuke's things into the bags. "Leave me the fuck alone or I'll have a restraining order put out, which will make our job together at the Station _very_ difficult." He thrust Sasuke's bags into his hands. "Have a nice day."

Sasuke stared at him for a few seconds before walking away from him, exiting the store. To him, following Naruto around had just been for fun and to annoy the blond. He'd never expected Naruto to react like that, and he found it completely unnecessary and uncalled for.

_He wants me to stay away from him, I'll __**fucking**__ stay away from him, then,_ the raven thought angrily as his eyes hardened.

* * *

"Hey." Genma leaned closer to Kiba as he regarded the main room of Station Seven. "Is it just me, or do things seem a little creepy today?"

"Things seem creepy." Kiba agreed. "Everything was fine when Sasuke walked in earlier, but the second Naruto arrived and the two saw each other, it was like—I almost choked, the hatred was so strong. It was suffocating me."

"It still is." Genma whispered as he looked back and forth between the two men who stood on either side of the room, neither facing the other. "What do you think happened?"

"I would know?"

"You and Sasuke are almost friends." Genma insisted. "And you and Naruto _are_ friends. Go find out what's happening." Genma tried to push him from his chair but Kiba grabbed the table, keeping himself seated.

"Why do I have to do it? Why don't _you_ go?"

"I'll molest you." Genma grinned, his hand running up the inside of Kiba's thigh.

With a shriek that caused everyone in the room to look at Kiba, the brunette leapt from his seat and bolted across the room, headed for Naruto since he was more likely to get an answer from him than from Sasuke.

"Yo, man." Kiba rubbed the back of his head as he approached, feeling wave after wave of hatred crashing into him. "Something happen between you guys?"

"I told him to fuck off, and he has." Naruto stated easily. Kiba winced.

"You _do_ realize the two of you are killing us with your hate vibes, right?"

"Yes." was the easy reply. Kiba just sighed, shaking his head.

"Good day, my trusty firefighters!" Everyone turned to the door, completely stunned. "It is I! Gai Maito! I was wondering when you would all be working again! I asked your Battalion Chief for your shifts so I may thank you for saving my gym!" (1)

The man clad in a green jumpsuit began to make his way around the room, thrusting protein bars into each firefighter's hand. Naruto and Sasuke were so confused that their hatred for one another began to disappear from the air, letting the others breathe a little easier.

"Excuse me, this is a firehouse. You're not authorized to be in here." Kakashi said as he came out of his office, noticing the green-clad man walking around.

"Ah! The Captain!" He ran to Kakashi, the grey-haired man's eyes widening in shock. Gai wrapped his arms tightly around Kakashi before hauling him off the ground and swinging him from side to side. "You are the one who instructed your firefighters. You are the one who told them where to go and what to do! If not for you, I would no longer have my gym! I thank you, kind sir! The youthful vigour of firefighters is truly amazing!"

"Sir, put me down!" Kakashi said, trying to keep his anger from his tone but managing to sound authoritative. "This is a firehouse, you are not authorized to be here. If there is a fire, we need to be able to leave quickly and efficiently. Your presence makes this hard."

"I understand, good Captain!" Gai's laughter echoed boomingly throughout the room. "I understand completely."

"Good. Now _put me down_!"

"You must not be embarrassed, kind sir." Gai stated as he put Kakashi down and placed his hands on the Captain's shoulders. "It is perfectly natural for one man to hug the other to demonstrate friendship and youthful energy!"

With that, he grabbed Kakashi and crushed him to his chest in a huge hug, the Captain letting out an 'oof' at the unexpected action. He cast a glance at Sasuke, the raven smirking slightly at his predicament. A glare from Kakashi made him sigh and walk towards Gai, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Sir, it is against the law to enter a firehouse without permission. Please don't make me call the authorities to have you removed from the premises. That wouldn't be fun for you _or_ for us. So if you would pl—"

The speaker popped and all heads snapped in its direction, Kakashi cursing as he pushed Gai away from him. All of them rushed around as Izumo not-so-kindly pushed Gai out of the firehouse before he jumped into Truck Ten as it passed by, barely slowing down for the firefighter to get in.

* * *

Naruto crawled into the gloom, feeling the weight of the fire pressing down on him. He was a little annoyed to be paired up with Sasuke _again_—_I swear, Kakashi does it on purpose_—but there was nothing he could do. He and Sasuke would just have to be civil while working together.

Naruto hit Genma's boot, the firefighter turning to him. **"Arrow, you and Godd are supposed to pull out. Death and I will take over."**

"**You got it, rookie."**

_I need a nickname, _Naruto thought with a sigh as Izumo turned off the hose. _Stat_. He was getting sick of people calling him 'rookie' because he didn't have a nickname yet.

Izumo and Genma moved out of the way, crawling back through the smoke and grime as Naruto took his place beside the hose, Sasuke roughly shoving past him to get the nozzle. Naruto just glared through his mask, but said nothing. He wasn't going to die in this stupid fire over who got to spray water everywhere.

He molded himself to Sasuke's back as the raven picked up the hose, opening the nozzle and bucking back into Naruto. The blond grunted at the pressure, but ignored it as best he could, working on helping Sasuke move forward with the hose to douse more of the flames.

As he pressed into Sasuke's back, his eyes caught sight of something on an adjacent wall. He frowned slightly, trying to see through the smoke. He only saw a little bit of it, and knew immediately what it was.

"**Shit! Scarecrow, I think I see a fan in here!"**

"**What?.!"** Sasuke demanded as he spun around. **"Where?"**

Naruto jerked his head in the direction he'd been looking at and Sasuke followed his line of sight, cursing colourfully as he noticed the insignia on the wall.

"**The two of you, pull out." **Tsunade's voice said over their radios. **"As much as I hate to do this, we're gonna let this one burn. It's an empty building, and it's going to start caving in on itself soon. We'll contain the fire as best we can."**

Naruto nodded to himself before stumbling into Sasuke, because the other man had closed the nozzle. Sasuke let out a grunt, but Naruto quickly got off him, turning around and making his way through the gloom. As they went, debris fell from the ceiling around them, causing them to stop occasionally and make sure it was still safe to move.

What seemed like hours later, Naruto made it out of the building, Kiba and Gaara pulling him out and yanking off his helmet and mask. He took a deep breath before letting it out, grabbing his gear back as he headed for rehab, shaking his head so that his sweaty locks left his eyes.

"Yo, where's Sasuke?"

The blond froze and turned at these words, his eyes zeroing in on the entrance to the building. He watched the smoke billow out and could feel the heat from where he stood. No Sasuke came.

"He was right behind me." Naruto insisted as he moved back towards the building before Raidou grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Don't get closer. Calm down and cool off. He probably got side-tracked, he'll be out in a second." Naruto didn't fail to notice the strain in his voice. He was worried, but he wouldn't say it out loud.

With a sigh, Naruto made his way to rehab, grabbing a tall glass of water and downing it as he turned back to the door, watching it for Sasuke. Kakashi was radioing the other man as Kiba tried to push past Tsunade to enter the building.

"What do you _mean_ I can't go in there?.!" he demanded. "Let me go, you ugly bitch!"

Naruto winced and noticed Tsunade's eyebrow twitch, but she said nothing with regard to his comment.

"It's not safe!"

"You've gotta be _kidding_ me!" Kiba hollered angrily.

"You _can't_ go back in there, the building is about to collapse!" Tsunade yelled back.

"I don't care! Sasuke's still in there!"

"You want to lose _two_ men instead of one?.!" Tsunade demanded angrily.

Naruto stared at his old guardian for a long while before his eyes fixed on the door to the building. Clenching his jaw, Naruto hurriedly snapped his Scott Pack back into place. All of this was done unnoticed by the two arguing firefighters, Kakashi still desperately trying to get Sasuke on the radio. It was Naruto's fault Sasuke hadn't come out, so he was going in to find him.

Naruto grabbed one of the axes off the side of the rig and turned back to the building. With a deep breath, Naruto gripped the axe tighter before he bolted for the front door.

"Naruto! What are you doing?.!" Kotetsu hollered.

Kakashi, Kiba and Tsunade all turned in time to see Naruto fly through the front door of the building, disappearing into the gloom. Seconds later, the door caved in.

* * *

"**Naruto, what are you doing?.! Get back out here **_**right**_** now!"** Tsunade hollered into his radio.

"**I'm going after Sasuke. I'll only be a minute!"**

"**You don't **_**have**_** a minute!"**

"**Let me **_**do**_** this!"** he yelled angrily as he crawled through the warehouse, feeling his mask begin to vibrate. _Shit,_ he thought angrily. _I forgot to change my air. This is going to get very ugly __**very**__ fast._ He could've turned around. Heck, any sensible firefighter _would've_ turned around. But he saw this as his fault, and so, he wasn't leaving without Sasuke.

"**Sasuke, can you hear me?"** he called through the gloom and over his radio. He received no reply other than Kakashi and Tsunade telling him to pull back.

Naruto could hear the note of panic in Kakashi's voice. He could tell half of Kakashi wanted Naruto to get out of there, but the other half wanted him to find Sasuke. Naruto could understand. Kakashi had lost Zabuza to The Fan. To lose Sasuke to the same person would destroy his captain. No, he _had_ to find Sasuke.

Suddenly, over the roar of the fire that threatened to drop the entire building on him, Naruto heard it. The distinct sound of a PASS Device (2). He hurriedly turned and headed in the direction of the sound, thankful he could hear it over the raging fire.

He found Sasuke lying on his back, the front of his mask beginning to melt. There were chunks of floor around him, so Naruto could only assume he'd gotten turned around somehow, and then had a piece of roof collapse on him and knock him out.

"**I found him! He's out!"** Naruto called through the radio as he noted Sasuke's air had run out a few seconds ago. Naruto's own tank began to beep, warning him he had less than two minutes of air. **"I'm running out of air and Sasuke's already out! I need the quickest way out of here!"**

"**The door caved in behind you, but there should be a window somewhere near where you are! Find it, and we'll come to you!" **Kakashi screamed into the radio, betraying his calm demeanour as Naruto heard panic in the other man's voice.

With a grunt, Naruto grabbed Sasuke and hauled him closer, pulling the other firefighter onto his back. He debated for all of two seconds before reaching back and unhooking his air, taking out Sasuke's used and empty tank before replacing it with his own. Naruto was conscious—Sasuke wasn't. He needed the air more than Naruto did.

Even though he wasn't getting any air through his mask, Naruto didn't _dare_ remove it. He would just be _asking_ to have his face burned off. That, and even though he was inhaling the smoky air, his mask was still trapping the larger particles. It was barely good enough, but it was something.

Naruto began to cough almost instantly as he crawled towards the end of the room they were in, looking around for a window. Sasuke was weighing him down and the axe in his hand was making it harder to move, but he didn't dare let it go. He continued coughing as the heated air made its way into his mask, causing him to try and breathe less frequently. One inhalation of super-heated air could kill him. Some people had been known to survive them, but he was _not_ willing to risk that right now.

Naruto finally hit a wall and began to run his hand over it. He didn't stand, he just stretched his hand upward and felt a ledge. A window. Thank God.

"**All right, buddy. Let's go."** he grunted as he stood up, Sasuke over one shoulder. He broke the glass with his axe as he began to feel light-headed. _All I have to do is get us outside,_ he thought to himself as he stumbled slightly. All that smoke and the heated air were _not_ good for him. _Just get outside. Come on!_

"**Naruto, can you hear me? Where are you? Are you out? Did you find a window?"**

Naruto didn't reply as he threw Sasuke out of the house through the window, hoping he hadn't injured the firefighter further. He then threw himself out of the window as well, hearing the house creak ominously behind him.

He landed hard on his side as he coughed violently, still very close to the burning house. Grunting and having a hard time seeing straight, the blond stumbled to his feet before grabbing Sasuke by the jacket and pulling him away from the house.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak through his radio, but his voice caught in his throat and he began to cough again. His throat stung with each cough and it felt like someone had poured acid down his oesophagus. He forced himself to hold the coughs in, not succeeding very well.

His foot caught on something and he tripped, falling backwards and not able to get back up. His lungs were on fire, his vision blurred, and he felt himself falling into unconsciousness.

The last thing he saw before his vision faded was Tsunade bent over him, screaming his name.

* * *

"Sasuke?"

The raven's eyebrows turned down in a frown as his mind fought for consciousness. He recognized that voice—as high-pitched and annoying as it was—and he wanted to find out why, exactly, she was in his home.

"Sasuke, can you hear me?"

"Is he okay?"

Another voice he recognized. A male's voice. Older, gruffer.

"He's fine. His vitals show he's beginning to wake up. We want to see if he can wake all the way up."

"What kind of injuries are we looking at, here?"

A third voice, one he also recognized. A male's, like the other one, but not as hard. It was loud, and a little annoying, really.

_Kiba_, his mind supplied. _Kiba, Kakashi and Sakura._

"Where am I?" he mumbled.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi's voice sounded so relieved and he almost started when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "How are you?"

Sasuke peeled open his eyes and squinted at the harsh light. It hurt, and he had half a mind to ask Sakura to turn it off. Instead, he just turned his head to look at Kakashi. He was covered in soot and his hair was dark with dried sweat. They must've just gotten back from a fire.

"Why am I in the hospital?" Sasuke demanded as his mind became clearer.

"Don't you remember?" Kiba asked, stepping forward. His face was just as smudged as his Captain's. "You and Naruto were inside. We think you got hit by a part of the roof. You were knocked out."

"Oh." Sasuke said simply. "Thanks for coming in to get me."

Kiba winced at this. "I didn't."

"Hn. Then tell Izumo I say thanks."

"He didn't, either." Kiba winced again.

At this, Sasuke turned to look at his friend, a frown on his face and confusion evident in his eyes.

"It was the other man." Sasuke turned to Sakura as she spoke. She was being surprisingly normal, for once. She wasn't annoying. Maybe he was _really_ hurt. _But wait, who's this 'other man'?_ Sasuke thought, confused.

"Other man?"

"Yes, the other firefighter." Sakura motioned outside his door. "Ino and the doctor are taking care of him right now. He's still unconscious. They don't know how he's doing yet."

Sasuke's throat constricted at these words. "Who was it?" he demanded as he forced himself to sit up, ignoring the pain in his left shoulder.

"It was Naruto." Sasuke turned to Kakashi, stunned. "Tsunade told Kiba and Izumo not to go inside, because the building was going to collapse. Naruto ran in while we weren't paying attention."

"What?" Sasuke whispered, dumbfounded.

"Naruto saved your life."

* * *

"_Get out of my house! Stay away from my son!" Arashi Uzumaki hollered as he punched a boy across the face. A six year old Naruto watched on in silence, his eyes wide as he gripped the bars of the railing at the top of the stairs. _

_The boy ran the back of his hand across his mouth to remove the blood that had appeared there, his face devoid of emotion. He couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen years old, and Naruto was shocked his father had hit someone of that age. It wasn't like his dad was old—only twenty-eight, thank you very much—but for him to hit someone younger than him... this person must've really upset his dad._

"_I won't warn you again!"_

"_You fail to understand the power I have right now, Arashi. Your reputation will be destroyed if I tell the press about your little problem."_

"_That was a long time ago, dammit! Your dad and I may have done stupid things like take drugs when we were kids, but you can't use this to blackmail me now! Your father will hear of this!"_

"_If you think I am concerned about what my father thinks, you are sorely mistaken." _

_Naruto let out a small gasp as Arashi grabbed the front of the boy's shirt, tugging him forward and glaring hatefully into his eyes, blue locked on onyx. _

"_Stay away from my son, you piece of shit, or you'll regret it."_

"_I think it is __**you**__ who will regret it, Arashi." The boy pulled out of Naruto's father's grip, a smirk beginning to form on his face. "Surely you know from my father that I take what isn't given to me. One way or another, I __**will**__ get that child."_

"_Get out!" _

* * *

"Hey!"

Naruto inhaled sharply as his eyes snapped open and he turned to look at the person by his shoulder. For a second, he could've sworn the man staring down at him was the same boy he'd just seen in his dream—his memory—but as his vision cleared, he realized it was Sasuke.

That was when Naruto _also_ realized he was sweating and crying. He didn't know why. The dream hadn't been scary, so for his body to react like that was strange. Then again, every time he had that dream, he always insisted he _knew_ the boy his father had been talking to all those years ago. He could never put his finger on it, but he recognized him.

"You were having a nightmare. Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, concern evident in his eyes.

Naruto nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but when he expected his voice to come out nice and loud, as always, and it didn't—he almost lost it.

"What happened to my voice?.!" he rasped out, feeling pain sear the inside of his throat. He hissed as he snapped his mouth shut, swallowing to try and have his saliva soothe his aching throat.

"Here." He looked up and saw Sasuke holding out a glass of water. Naruto took it gratefully, drinking it down and letting out a relieved sigh as it soothed his throat slightly. It wasn't much, but it helped a little, at the very least.

"Thanks." he rasped out.

He reached up and found he had a tube leading into his nose, helping him breathe. He had an IV drip in his right hand, as well, and the annoying beeping sound beside him could only be his heart rate. What the hell _happened_ after he passed out, anyway?

"Were you hurt?" Naruto asked Sasuke, finding it hard to breathe with each word he spoke. But, it wasn't in his nature to be quiet.

"A bump on the head and a twisted shoulder. Nothing too concerning." Sasuke gave a half shrug, and Naruto noted he hadn't used his left shoulder to shrug. _Must be the one he hurt,_ he concluded. _I hope it wasn't because I threw him out that window._

"Good. I'm glad." Naruto rasped out.

"I heard you're the one who came to get me." Sasuke said. "And that when they found you, you were lying outside, holding me to your chest and not wearing your Scott Pack."

"You ran out of air." Naruto replied with a wince. "I didn't want you to die."

"Idiot, _you _could've died!" Sasuke snapped angrily.

"And you wouldn't have?" Naruto wheezed back.

"That fire was set for _me_! If anyone was to die in that fire, it should've been _me_."

"Well maybe you weren't meant to die in that fire." Sasuke's head snapped back as the blond gasped the words out. "Maybe someone was meant to save you. Maybe no one was meant to die in that fire."

"Maybe you're just an idiot." Sasuke grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away.

"I've always been admired for my looks. Never my brain." Naruto joked before coughing violently.

Sasuke winced at the noise, knowing it couldn't be healthy and _positive_ it hurt. The sound alone made Sasuke's throat itch and he felt bad for the other firefighter—especially since it was _his_ fault.

"You know," Sasuke cocked his head slightly as Naruto spoke again, "what I said in Wal-Mart—I didn't mean it." He coughed a little bit again. "I was having a bad day. I didn't mean for you to hate me. I just have another stalker, and you scared me a little. You guys look similar. Black hair, dark eyes..." Naruto trailed off as he wheezed, trying to get more air into his lungs through his constricted throat.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke said honestly. "I didn't know. I never meant any harm with my stalking."

"I know." Naruto whispered as his eyes began to close again. "It's okay."

"Does this mean I can stalk you again?" Sasuke asked with a small smile as he watched the other man begin to pass out.

"Sure." Naruto whispered. "As long as you're not... him..."

Sasuke frowned and wanted to ask the other man what he meant, but Naruto was already asleep again, his chest rising and falling slowly. Sasuke sighed as he bent over and ran one hand through Naruto's soft blond hair. He debated whether or not to kiss him for all of one second before he decided he'd probably never have another chance like this one. Naruto was being doped up—it was the safest time ever to kiss him.

Slowly, Sasuke leaned forward and gently placed his lips on Naruto's, enjoying the fact that he didn't have to rush this kiss the way he had back in the bar a few nights ago. Naruto tasted sweet and delicious, and Sasuke almost didn't want to pull away. He knew he had to, someone might see, but as he did, he hoped this wouldn't be the last time he got to kiss the blond.

_What __**is**__ it about him that makes me want to let him in?_ Sasuke thought, utterly confused. _I don't understand why I want to protect him so much. Why I want to spend time with him. Why I want to open up to him, and get to know him. _

_Why I __**love **__him. _

* * *

(1) I forgot to write this last chapter. Credit goes to my muse for Gai's appearance. I didn't know how to make him appear in the fic and she was talking about him having a gym and then having this crazy obsession with Kakashi when he saved it from burning down (because he's the Captain) and handing out cookies and stuff. So, I'm using it. Credit goes to you, Fuzzy-Hime.

(2) A PASS Device is a motion sensitive device. The device can either be activated manually or is done automatically when something else is turned on, like the Scott Packs. What it does is if a firefighter doesn't move for more than twenty or so seconds, a warning buzzer starts to go off. If he remains motionless for an additional ten seconds, it will go into full alarm and start blaring a high-pitched whistle that will alert other firefighters that a firefighter is down, and also where to find him or her. The device can be turned on manually if a firefighter knows they're about to be in trouble and can't wait thirty seconds for help.


	8. Words

**Gomen, Gomen! I know this is long overdue, but I had a few personal issues to sort out. All is well now, though, so I should be updating more often, promise. Sorry this took so long, and I hope you like it :smiles:**

**Disclaimer: If Sasuke were mine... He would be handcuffed to Naruto's bed :3 Kukuku... but alas, he is K. Masashi's... To those of you who would LIKE to see him handcuffed to Naruto's bed, help me own him!**

* * *

"I don't know about this." the locksmith said as he scratched the back of his head. "It's not really something we're allowed to do." 

"I understand your concern." Sasuke said as he pressed a fifty dollar bill into the locksmith's hand. "But you see, this is for a friend of mine, who's in the hospital right now. His front door lock needs to be changed, and so do all his window locks."

The locksmith sighed and scratched the back of his head again. He then bent down and proceeded to unscrew the doorknob for the door before him so he could replace the entire lock mechanism. Sasuke stood behind him during the entire process before they moved into the house and he followed the locksmith around to each window.

After a few hours of that, the locks were all replaced and Sasuke paid the locksmith. He then had a flooring company come over and replace all of Naruto's carpets, tiled-floors, and hardwood floors. The blond's carpet in his room was beyond repair, and he felt a little surge of happiness bubble inside him as he had it replaced with the exact same colour—well, the same colour, only less faded and less stained.

That took practically the rest of the day, so Sasuke locked the front doors behind him after the flooring company had left and made his way to his motorcycle. He got on it and headed for Kakashi's house before he realized what he was doing, and turned around. Kakashi and Iruka were probably doing something scandalous with their windows open and their doors unlocked. Kakashi was an exhibitionist, and the pony-tailed Arson Investigator always complained about it, but it was his own fault for dating the perverted Captain.

Sasuke stopped in the middle of the empty street, looking around. He wasn't sure what he should do—where he should go. With a sigh, he spun around and headed out to Kiba's house. He needed to talk to someone, anyway, and Kiba was just about the closest thing to a friend he had.

When he got to the man's house, Akamaru came running up to him as he climbed off his motorcycle. The massive dog practically bowled him over, and Sasuke had to refrain from killing the damn thing, knowing the fire department needed well-trained dogs like Akamaru.

"Who is it, Akamaru?" Kiba asked as he opened his front door, walking out onto his front porch in nothing but a pair of low-riding black sweatpants. (1)

"Get your dumb mutt off me." Sasuke growled as Akamaru licked his face continuously.

"After _that_ comment? Not a chance, man." Kiba smirked as he leaned back against the side of his house and crossed his arms.

"I need to talk to you, dammit! Get him off!"

"Akamaru, get off him. His bastardness might be contagious."

The large white dog obeyed, backing up slightly before turning around and running back to his doghouse, practically flying into it. Sasuke wiped the remaining drool off his face with the front of his shirt, muttering about disgusting creatures as he made his way to Kiba's front door. His friend motioned him inside and then followed him, closing the front door.

"You hungry? Want a drink or something?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke sat down at Kiba's kitchen table while the other man grabbed a beer before plopping down across from Sasuke.

"So, this is new. Since when do you need to 'talk'?" Kiba popped open the can and took a large swallow.

"I was just thinking." Sasuke replied. Kiba waited, but the raven said nothing more.

"You _do_ know that there needs to be talkage (2) for us to talk, right?"

"Why is Naruto like that?" Sasuke demanded, narrowing his eyes, promising sweet death to Kiba if he didn't answer truthfully.

The brunette stared at him. "What?"

"He's so—happy." Sasuke spat the last word out as if it were the most disgusting thing in the world.

"What, he's not allowed to be happy?" Kiba asked with a smirk. "You've gotta realize something, Death—the two of you perceive things differently. See, your pasts are similar in the sense that you both lost your parents at a young age because of some psychotic freak." Sasuke nodded to this, not looking at Kiba. It was no secret that the Uzumaki fire wasn't an accident, and it was also no secret that Itachi had gone crazy and killed Sasuke's family. Sasuke even realized that they were about the same age when it happened, too.

"Now come your differences." Sasuke looked up at Kiba as the brunette continued. "You're both the same in your pasts, but you've reacted to the after-effects differently. Naruto surrounds himself with noise to know that he is never alone, whereas you isolate yourself in silence. You like to think that you'll never get hurt if you isolate yourself, but you know what, Sasuke—you're wrong." Kiba shrugged before he let out a small sigh, shaking his head. "You're not as uncaring as you think."

"Yes I am." Sasuke snapped.

"So, what colour carpet does Naruto have in his living room?" Kiba gave him a poignant look and Sasuke could feel a blush threatening to take over his face. He throttled it violently.

"I'm looking out for the best interests of a comrade."

"Oh, get over yourself, Sasuke." Kiba threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "You'll admit to yourself that you like him, but nobody else can ever find out? Do you think we're _blind_ or something?" Kiba rubbed his face, annoyed. "Last year, when that building four blocks from your place burned down and killed twenty-five people, I know you cried." Sasuke's head snapped back. "You knew it was your brother's doing, and you knew it was because he thought you lived there. You cried, but you thought no one knew. You care about people you don't even know, so would it really be so bad to drop the cold-bastard act every once in a while and act like a normal human being?"

Sasuke lowered his eyes and stared down at Kiba's scratched table. Vaguely, he noted Kiba needed a new one, as this one was getting old. Perhaps they sold tables at Wal-Mart?

"It's okay to care about people Sasuke, and it's okay to be scared that they'll disappear one day." Kiba stood up. "But hey, everyone dies eventually, right? We don't have control over that—which is why you should live for the moment, or else it'll be gone before you understand why."

* * *

"_Hello, Naruto." _

_The little boy who was no older than six looked up at the person who'd addressed him. He didn't know him, but he recognized him as being the son of a person his dad used to know. Why was he at his school? _

"_I came to pick you up. Your dad is busy right now."_

"_Daddy told me not to leave with strangers." Naruto replied in a small voice. This person looked scary, and he didn't want him to get mad._

"_I'm not a stranger, you know me. I've been to your house many, many times." _

"_I have to wait for my daddy." Naruto took a step back._

"_Is there a problem?" He spun around and his eyes lit up as he saw Jiraiya Sannin walking towards him. _

"_Uncle Jiraiya!" The blond ran to the white-haired man, jumping into his open arms._

"_Hey, you're getting big, champ." Jiraiya smiled as he held the blond before looking back at the boy who'd been talking to him. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I thought I'd help Arashi out since I heard he was busy. I was going to take his son home."_

"_Were you, now?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "To his house—or **yours**?"_

"_Do you want to start something with me, old man?" the boy growled._

"_I may be old, but I assure you, I can take care of myself. **And** those important to me." His arms tightened around Naruto to emphasize his point. The blond merely looked back and forth between them, not understanding the conversation._

"_I'm not going to hurt him—"_

"_No, you're not." Jiraiya agreed. _

"_I just want to—borrow him."_

"_Whatever possessed you to assume that Arashi would allow his son to be used by an arsonist? He's a **firefighter**, or have you forgotten?" _

"_You don't even know what I need him for." the boy replied, seeming calm outwardly, but Naruto could see his eyebrow twitching. He was quickly losing his patience. _

"_Does it matter? It involves fire." _

"_Perhaps if I told you, you would feel more inclined to help me."_

"_I will **never** feel more inclined to help you." Jiraiya spat. _

_A car pulled up beside them, the passenger-side window rolling down. "Jiraiya, hurry up. I need to get to work." _

"_I'm coming, Tsunade." Jiraiya said, his eyes locked on the boy's before him as he glared. "Stay away from Naruto. I mean it." _

* * *

Naruto's eyes opened slowly as he let the tail-end of his dream disappear. Dream, memory, it was all the same. How did one describe this phenomenon? Every time Naruto had a dream, it wasn't really a dream, but a memory. But since he was asleep when it happened, could it be considered a memory, even if he knew it was one? Or was it still called a dream? Naruto didn't know—and it was making his head hurt. 

He found it odd that he still remembered the reason that boy wanted him. He couldn't really remember when the conversation had taken place anymore, but he knew his mother had been there. His mother and the boy had been yelling at one another before the boy had slapped her. Naruto had been mad; nobody was allowed to hit his mother like that. But he was six, what could he do?

That was when the cold voice had broken through his rage, explaining why he wanted him. Naruto's eyes drifted closed as he went back to sleep.

* * *

"_Fires are amazing things, are they not? They react differently based on the area they're provided and the amount of air and open space they have. That is why I need your son. He's six years old, but he's small for his age. He's old enough to understand my instructions, and small enough to get to the places I want him to. Like vents, for example. I need someone as small as him, and as old as him. He's the only person I know who can fit into those places!"_

"_You have a brother, why not use **him**?" Minako Uzumaki demanded, feeling guilty for having done so, but wanting to protect her son. "Arashi's already **told** you that you're **not** going to use our son for your crazy fire-based experiments! Now please **leave**!" _

"_You don't understand!" the boy growled, Minako taking a step back in fear. He was scary when he was indifferent. When he got angry, he was downright terrifying. "I can't use my brother, because he isn't good enough. He doesn't understand fire or how it works. Naruto is Arashi's son. He understands fire better than most firefighters because his **daddy**," he spat the word out, "taught him everything about it. I **need** that boy!" _

"_Get out of my house." Minako stated calmly. "**Now**."_

"_You'll regret this." the boy growled. "I warned Arashi, and now, I'm warning you. This is the last time. Next time I ask, it better be a yes, or else you won't be around to protect your son, anymore, because you won't **have** a son to protect."_

"_Is that a threat?" Minako narrowed her eyes. _

"_Of course." the boy brushed past her roughly. "Tell Arashi I'll be back in two days. He better have a better answer by then, or your son will no longer be protected."_

_The front door slammed and Minako slammed her fist on the counter angrily. Naruto jumped, retreating further around the corner he was hiding behind. Minako then sank into a chair and buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she cried silently. _

_Naruto didn't know what to do. _

* * *

Sasuke rubbed the back of his head as he made his way down the hospital corridor, having easily gained access despite it being after visiting hours. As annoying as it was to have Ino and Sakura love him, it had its advantages. 

When the raven reached the blond's room, he noticed Naruto was asleep. He didn't want to bother him, but he needed to make sure he was all right. So, he walked into the room and shut the door behind himself. He made his way to the chair beside Naruto's bed and sat down in it, staring at the blond. He had a small frown on his face, as if displeased with what he was currently dreaming about. Sasuke knew he needed the sleep, though, so he decided he wouldn't wake him up unless Naruto started whimpering or something.

As he glanced briefly around the room, his eyes fell on a book resting peacefully on the table beside the bed. He recalled Naruto asking Gaara to get it for him, the redhead agreeing. Naruto had looked so desperate when he'd asked the stoic driver to get it for him, and Sasuke was curious as to why that was.

Knowing he shouldn't, Sasuke reached out and took the book in his hands. He stared at the brown cover for a few seconds before flipping it open to the first page. His eyes widened before he looked down at Naruto to ensure he was still asleep.

On the first page of the book, two words were written. "Naruto's Journal".

Sasuke flipped it open, looking through it briefly. He didn't read anything, really, until something caught his eye.

_March 12th. Neji talked to me about my finances again. I think he worries about me more than he should._

Sasuke bit his lip before flipping through the book some more, scanning the dates for a specific one. He finally found it. June twenty-fourth.

_June 24th. Started at Station Seven today. Gaara works there, so I was happy. Met a cool guy named Kiba, too.  
__There's this one guy called Sasuke who has a problem with me. I'm not sure why.  
__Also, a guy named Genma tried to rape me in the shower. It was scary._

_June 26th. Genma tried to rape me again._

Sasuke flipped a few pages, catching glimpses of "Genma tried again" every now and then. He smiled slightly as he realized the perverted firefighter really _did_ have it out for Naruto. He stopped on another date as something caught his interest.

_August 12th. I pulled a fast one on Genma, today. **I** tried to rape **him**. He looked shocked—but then he was all for it... So, I ran._

Sasuke flipped a few more pages until he reached the last entry, which had been written in the day before. Naruto had probably done it after everyone had left. He'd slept a bit while they were still there, and then woken up to ask Gaara to get the book. When Gaara had returned, everyone had left. _This entry is less than twenty-four hours old,_ Sasuke realized as he began to read it.

_August 18th. _

_Station Seven._

_I was transferred out of Station Twelve,  
__And thrown into what I thought was hell.  
__Everyone here was perverted or scary,  
__And I didn't take the transition well._

_As time went on, things got better,  
__And I didn't feel like the odd man out.  
__The rape attempts became less common,  
__And everyone liked me, without a doubt._

_First and foremost, I have to mention Blade.  
__He was the first person I'd met.  
__He'd scared me and insulted me, but he was cool.  
__May he rest in peace, and I'm sad he had to jet._

_Next is the Captain, known as Scarecrow,  
__The guy is weird and sort of crazy.  
__But he leads us right and shows no favouritism,  
__Even if he can be somewhat lazy._

_Arrow is third on my list of people,  
__And what a pervert that man is!  
__He tries to rape me whenever he can,  
__And will not stop until I'm his._

_Scarface is Arrow's lover and watcher,  
__A type of babysitter, if you will.  
__If Arrow begins to get out of line,  
__Scarface is the one who goes in for the kill. _

_Magna is cool, though obsessed with coffee,  
__And he always seems to injure himself.  
__He always wears a bandage across his nose,  
__And one wonders what he does with himself._

_Godd is an odd one, no doubt about it,  
__And I'm pretty sure he's gay, too.  
__Of course, I see no problem with this,  
__What do I care what others do?_

_Next is Sandman, my good friend since forever.  
__I never thought we would chill again.  
__I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him,  
__And I'm glad I can see him every now and then._

_Wolfgang is the coolest person in the Station;  
__He gets a whopping two thumbs up.  
__He's hysterical, he's fun, and he was awesome from the start,  
__Despite the fact that you can't get him to shut up._

_Last but not lest is the one called Death,  
__He thinks he brings misfortune wherever he goes.  
__He thinks everyone he gets close to will die.  
__Why he's like this, no one knows._

_Death needs help, he needs to understand,  
__I want to help him realize the truth.  
__But no matter how hard I try, it doesn't work.  
__What could have happened during his youth?_

_Why won't he—_

"What are you doing?" Sasuke snapped the book shut and looked up to find Naruto staring right at him, his eyes open. The blond's eyes were fixed on the book Sasuke held in his hands.

"I-I was just—it fell from the table, and—"

Naruto snatched the book from Sasuke's hands, giving the raven an unreadable stare. Sasuke felt insanely uncomfortable, but he supposed he deserved it.

"Don't look through my stuff again." Naruto said before clutching the book to his chest and rolling over so his back was to Sasuke. "Don't look through my stuff again." he repeated in a whisper as his grip tightened on the book.

Sasuke didn't know how to apologize, or what to say, for that matter. So, he just stood up and left the room without a word, wondering how Naruto would react to his house being cleaned and repaired. He winced and decided he wouldn't tell him it was his doing. He would get someone else to give him his new key. It was safer.

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back down the long hospital corridor, both Kiba and Naruto's words echoing in his mind.

* * *

(1) NOSEBLEED! HALF-NEKKID KIBA! 

(2) Yes, I am well aware of the fact that talkage is not a word, but since it's something I say, and I'm starting to talk like my various versions of Kiba _anyway_, why not make him sound like me? heh:P


	9. Phases

**A/N: Look! LOOK! Aren't I nice? Two updates in three days! My present to you for making y'all wait so long because of my hiatus. :sweatdrop:**

**Disclaimer- :Throws a temper tantrum due to K. Masashi insisting they're STILL his:**

* * *

Sasuke sat at the table in the main room of the firehouse, glaring daggers at the wall as he heard Naruto, Izumo and Kotetsu joking around. Naruto still wasn't allowed to go back to work, since his throat wasn't completely healed, but he'd showed up to talk to them before their shift started. He hadn't said anything to Sasuke regarding the journal. This concerned Sasuke, because he hadn't really spoken to the raven at _all_. He wondered if perhaps he'd overstepped his bounds. 

"Well, I better head out." Naruto waved to the others. "Tell Kiba I say 'hey' when he gets in!"

"Bye, Naruto!" Genma waved madly. "I'll miss you!"

"I'm sure you will." Naruto muttered before stepping out of the firehouse.

Sasuke continued to glare at the wall across from him, silently hoping someone would be stupid enough to enter his line of sight so he could find out whether or not he could set someone on fire with his eyes. Unfortunately, everyone in the room knew him too well.

"Morning, all." Kiba exclaimed as he came through the door, Akamaru barking beside him as he ran for Izumo, the other man smiling as he waited to be bowled over by the large dog.

Kiba plopped down beside the glaring Uchiha and raised an eyebrow. He followed the raven's gaze before turning back to look at him.

"You tell that wall, Sasuke. Show it who's boss."

"Fuck you."

"Oh, not very happy, are we?" Kiba put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "What's up, man?"

"I pissed off Naruto a few days ago." Sasuke muttered. "And I think he's still pissed."

"Did he find out you were the one who re-did his house?" Kiba asked with a frown, having been there to hear Naruto holler and scream angrily about not needing anybody's help. The day Naruto found out who it was, Kiba was going to move to Mexico.

"No, I read his journal."

"He has a journal?" Kiba asked, confused. He then frowned. "Wait, you _read_ it?"

"I couldn't help it." Sasuke glared even harder at the wall. "It was too tempting."

"Are you _insane_?.!" Kiba demanded. "You do _not_ read a man's journal! That's like reading a girl's diary! _Bad idea_!"

"You would know?" Sasuke demanded.

"Yeah, man! I've had girlfriends!" Kiba reminded him. "Speaking of which, I've got a new one." Kiba smiled to himself as he thought about his cute little girlfriend.

"Let me guess, Hinata Hyuuga."

"Yup." Kiba smiled. "It took some doing, but I managed to convince her cousin to let me date her. She was really happy. I'm her first boyfriend! Her _first_! We're twenty-six, man!"

"I suppose Naruto had something to do with it."

"Yeah. He reassured Neji that I was a nice guy. And Neji's met me before. He's cool, he thinks I'm cool—and he promised to break my knees if I hurt her, so I guess we're okay." Kiba winced. "Although honestly, I'd be more worried about _Hinata_ breaking my knees."

Sasuke would've smiled, or maybe even laughed, but he was in too much of a bad mood right now to indulge Kiba. The brunette noticed, because he sighed and shifted in his chair, turning it around so he was sitting on it backwards.

"If I told you something about Naruto that you'd really, really, _really _wanna know, what would you do for me?" Sasuke turned to him and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Define 'really wanna know'."

"No, no, no." Kiba grinned, flashing his unusually sharp canines. "First, what would you do for me?"

Sasuke regarded him for a few minutes before deciding it must be something worth it. So, he thought for a few seconds. "Certificates to eat at the most expensive restaurant in town at least twice a month for the next six months."

"Tell me we've got a deal, and I'll talk." Kiba's grin widened.

"And if it's not worth it?" Sasuke demanded.

"It's worth it." Kiba reassured.

Sasuke stared at him a while longer before holding out his hand.

"Deal."

Kiba shook it before pulling Sasuke closer and whispering to him.

"Naruto is bi." Sasuke froze, shocked.

"Really?" he asked, trying not to sound excited.

"I shit you not, man." Kiba pulled away, standing up.

"Tell Hinata you've become a very rich man."

"I already did." Kiba winked at him before turning around and walking away.

Sasuke returned his gaze to the wall, but instead of melting the paint off with his glare, this one was just a thoughtful gaze. How could he trick Naruto into dating him, now?

* * *

Naruto shivered as all the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He spun around and scanned the area, but he saw nothing. Only the cars that belonged to the other Wal-Mart associates. After all, no one else came to Wal-Mart after closing time, so why would he be watched? 

"You're paranoid." Naruto shook his head violently. "You're paranoid. Get in your car and go home. Eat some ramen, or something." he muttered to himself as he unlocked his car door and got in. He slammed the door and started the car. The engine sputtered, and died. Naruto cocked an eyebrow before turning his key again. The same thing happened before his 'check engine' light flashed on his dash.

"Oh, you're shitting me." he yelled before slapping his wheel angrily. "Fuck!"

He turned his head as he heard the roar of an engine coming into the parking lot, shielding his eyes as a light flashed right into his face. It took him a second to realize that it was a motorcycle, and the rider was someone he knew.

Sasuke stopped right beside Naruto, pulling his helmet off as he nodded to the blond. Naruto opened his door and got out of his car, wondering if Sasuke was the reason his car wasn't working.

"Hey. Is Wal-Mart closed?" Sasuke asked as he turned to look at the dark store.

"Yeah, about twenty minutes ago." Naruto informed, still suspicious.

"Shit." Sasuke rubbed the back of his head. "Kiba wanted me to get him a new table. I forgot until a few minutes ago."

"We open at seven, if it's that important to you." Naruto shrugged.

"I guess it'll have to be good enough." Sasuke sighed before putting his helmet back on his head.

Naruto bit his bottom lip and forced himself to swallow his pride. As the raven was about to turn his bike around and leave, Naruto stopped him, reaching out to grab his arm.

"Hey, do you think—you can give me a ride?"

Sasuke turned to Naruto, pulling his helmet off again to show the smirk he was sporting. "You? The great Naruto Uzumaki needs a ride from _me_?"

"Don't rub it in, you bastard." Naruto spat. "A simple 'no' will fucking suffice." Naruto turned to get back into his car when something hit him in the back of the head. "Ow! Jesus Christ!" He spun around to find Sasuke holding a helmet out to him. Now Naruto was _really_ suspicious.

"What? It's not going to bite you." Sasuke shook the helmet.

"How come you had a second one?"

"I drove Kakashi home." Sasuke informed, motioning the bag on his back. "I had the helmet in there because I came here right after dropping him off. Do you want a ride, or not?"

Naruto glared but grabbed the helmet nonetheless. He pulled it on over his head as he spoke.

"How were you planning on getting the table to Kiba with this bike?"

"I wouldn't have enough room in a car, either." Sasuke insisted. "I was going to have it delivered."

"Oh." Naruto turned and slammed his car door, locking it. He put his own bag across his shoulder before climbing on behind Sasuke and staring at his hands. "Uh, I've never been on a motorcycle before."

"Don't worry about it. Just follow my body movements when I turn so I don't lose control of it."

"Okay." Naruto continued to stare at his hands. "Um, where do I put my hands?"

Sasuke just smirked before reaching behind himself and grabbing Naruto's hands in his own. He brought them around his waist before removing his hands from Naruto's and putting them back on the bike. His smirk widened. _Phase one, complete. _

Sasuke peeled out of the Wal-Mart parking lot, Naruto's arms tightening around his middle. They rode in silence, the wind whipping past their faces as Sasuke accelerated. Naruto couldn't stop a small smile from forming on his face. He'd never been on a motorcycle before, and he'd always wanted to know what it was like. Now, he knew. It was _awesome_. He was going to have to find a way to make Sasuke give him rides more often.

They reached Naruto's house and Sasuke stopped, waiting for Naruto to get off the bike and give him back his helmet. Naruto pulled it off and handed it to the raven, who took it and put it back in his bag.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Need a ride to the station tomorrow?" Sasuke asked. "Kiba comes to get me every day when he doesn't have to pick Akamaru up from somewhere else, I'm sure we could make a detour."

"Uh, sure." Naruto said, feeling uncomfortable with this new relationship he had with Sasuke. The raven was actually being _nice_ to him. How weird was _that_?

"I'll see you tomorrow." Sasuke turned his motorcycle before zooming down the street.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow and shrugged before heading for his front door. He went inside and slammed the door behind himself, headed for the kitchen. He threw his stuff on the kitchen table before grabbing the phone and dialling a number.

"Hey, lil'bro!" Kankurou hollered into the phone, causing Naruto to wrench the phone away from his ear. Kankurou was blasting music in his car again, which would probably be why he was yelling. The music stopped a few seconds later. "You called me from the house. I was just coming down to get you."

"Huh?" Naruto asked with a frown. "How did you know I'd need a ride?"

"I saw that weirdo from your other job fiddling with your engine." Naruto's hand tightened around his phone as he grit his teeth. "I figured he was playing a prank on you. How did you get home?"

"The same weirdo drove me home."

There was a long pause.

"Dude, I think he likes you."

"What?.!" Naruto blurted out. "He's just lusting after me, like every other person who's ever wanted me." Sometimes, Naruto hated his blond hair and blue eyes. They got him way too much attention.

"Gaara says he thinks Sasuke wants you." Naruto could _hear_ the smirk in his voice. "Wants a little bang-bang time with you."

"Fuck you, Kankurou." Naruto snapped. "You going to fix my car for me, or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, you ungrateful sibling." Kankurou muttered. "I'll go fix it right now. I'll have Temari drive me by tomorrow for your keys so I can drive it back to your place for you. Leave them in the mailbox."

"You rock. Thanks."

"Not a problem. You _are_ my little brother."

"I don't know, being part of your family would scare the shit out of me, actually." he teased.

Kankurou's comeback was hanging up on him.

Naruto did the same a second later, and his eyes hardened. "That fucking bastard is screwing with my car." he muttered, annoyed. _But what if it's true?_ Naruto thought, rubbing his arms as he suddenly felt cold. _I mean, he's cute and all—but he looks just like that other guy. And he looks **too** much like the guy in my memories._ Naruto winced. He also didn't really like the way Sasuke was trying to get with him. Trickery, like at the bar, and then sabotaging his ride? Did this guy have _no _people skills?.!

* * *

"Thanks for the ride, Kiba." Naruto said as he got out of the car. 

"Not a problem, man. We have to stick together. We're buddies." Kiba wrapped one arm around Naruto's shoulders and rubbed his knuckles against the blond's skull. Naruto laughed as he tried to push the other man away.

Sasuke got out of the car calmly, slamming the door behind himself and following the other two firefighters into the firehouse. They all walked in to find Genma and Raidou making out on the couch, Kotetsu pouring himself a cup of coffee, and Izumo wrestling a book out of Kakashi's grip.

"It's mine!" Kakashi insisted childishly. "I bought it yesterday!"

"Kakashi, you're too perverted!" Izumo insisted back.

"Weirdoes." Naruto laughed as he shook his head and made his way to the bunk-room. Sasuke followed close behind him.

Naruto opened his locker and pulled his uniform out before shoving his bag inside, followed by his journal. He suddenly felt someone squeeze his ass and let out an undignified squeak before turning around to yell at Genma. His words died in his throat and he sputtered as he found Sasuke behind him, looking quite pleased with himself.

"P-pervert! Get the fuck away!" Naruto pushed him away with one hand. Sasuke stood his ground. "I don't need another Genma! Don't make me sic Gaara on you!"

"Gaara won't hurt me." Sasuke replied easily, unfazed by the threat. "Gaara and I know we're at the same level."

"Then _I'll_ kick the shit out of you! Get away, bastard!" Sasuke had moved closer, and Naruto was quickly running out of space. He was already pressed back against the lockers, and the space between himself and Sasuke was getting smaller and smaller.

"You're not scared of me, are you, Naruto?" He smirked.

"Whoa, sorry!" Naruto's head whipped towards the door, where Kotetsu had turned around. "I didn't know I was interrupting."

"Help me!" The brief interruption had thrown Sasuke off-guard, so Naruto easily pushed him away and bolted towards the door, hiding behind Kotetsu. "He's trying to rape me!"

"Rape?.! Where?.!" Genma ran towards the room and looked inside. He then looked at Naruto. "Aw, you've still got your pants on. Sasuke can't have gone very far."

"Sasuke didn't try to rape him." Kotetsu sighed. "And you have to stop being so perverted, Genma."

"But it's _fun_." Genma insisted as he bounced towards the coffee machine.

"Like you _need_ more coffee!" Kiba hollered from across the room.

"Hello!" Naruto screamed hysterically. "I almost got raped!"

"No, you didn't. Sasuke was probably trying to get something from his locker, and you were in the way." Kotetsu pulled away from Naruto, heading back for the kitchen table.

"Wha—Sasuke's out to get me, and no one will believe me!" Naruto screamed, frustrated.

Sasuke just grinned to himself in the bunk-room.


	10. Kyuubi

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to cynlee, because you always have something nice to say, and you always entertain me; and also, to my crazy student, Shisuta Nuchinan. Hope y'all enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: ...I'm too tired to think of one. They're not mine. They're K. Masashi's.**

* * *

Naruto yawned as he walked down the stairs, grumbling at the annoying person who was knocking continuously on his front door. The person knocked ten times, then rang the doorbell twice, before returning to knocking and continuing the whole process. Naruto was going to kill the owner of that hand. 

_My one day off from both the firehouse **and** Wal-Mart, and I have some idiot knocking at my door at…_ Naruto frowned. Come to think of it, what time _was_ it? He glanced at his watch and winced. Ten in the morning. Yeah, he had the right to be mad.

Naruto reached his front door and made it a point to be as slow as possible while unlocking the door and pulling back the chain-link. He opened it slowly, showing his sleepiness as he peered out at the person standing on his porch. He was suddenly wide-awake. And angry. Very angry.

"What do _you_ want, bastard?" Naruto demanded as he narrowed his eyes.

"Look," Sasuke sighed, "I realize you're mad at me for reading your journal—" Naruto snorted.

"I don't particularly _care_ about that, right now. Not compared to everything _else_ you've done."

Sasuke was puzzled. "Like?"

"Well, first off, you messed with my engine _again_!" he snapped angrily. "It costs _money_ to get those things fixed, you know! If I didn't have Kankurou, I would be _spending_ said money fixing my damn car! Thankfully, he's in the Tire and Lube department at Wal-Mart, and can fix my car for me for free." Naruto poked Sasuke in the chest with his finger. "_Also_, you keep your damn mitts _off_ my gluteus maximus!" He narrowed his eyes. "And in case you don't know Latin, that's my _ass_."

"I understood." Sasuke glared.

"Good!" Naruto took a step back and turned to close his door before turning back to Sasuke, throwing his hands in the air. "I don't fucking get you, man! I mean, one second, you hate me and are all jerky and shit, and the next, you act like we're best friends! Like, you mess with my engine, but then offer to give me a ride home. You pull pranks on me, but then do something to make up for it. Like—what do you want from me?.!" Naruto was yelling, at this point. He was so damn frustrated with all of this, he just wanted to kill something. That, or get laid. "Do you want to be my friend, or do you want to just piss me off, or even just _hate_ me?.!"

Sasuke was silent for a long while, watching Naruto's chest rise and fall as he panted, a frown on his tanned face while glaring at the Uchiha. Sasuke waited until he'd calmed down before answering.

"Kiba's probably told you I'm not very good with people."

"I don't need Kiba to _tell_ me that, Uchiha." Naruto spat.

"Fair enough." Sasuke growled, wondering if he'd _ever_ be able to talk without being interrupted. "I'm not very good with people. I don't like interacting with others because of what might happen to them. So—I think, I want to be friends with you, but I don't at the same time." Sasuke ran his hand through his hair, feeling annoyed at having to explain this. "I don't want you to hate me, but I don't really know how to act around others. Kiba kind of just puts up with me, and Kakashi's known me since forever, so he's used to how I act. I just—I want to be your friend, I just don't know how."

Naruto's eyes softened slightly and he let out a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "Is that all, Uchiha? It's because you lack people skills?"

Sasuke blushed and looked away. It was very unnerving having Naruto grin at him like that, all of his teeth showing. It made Sasuke uncomfortable. Especially since it made him focus on the blond's lips—something he really shouldn't be doing, since he really wanted to _screw_ the other firefighter.

"Yeah." he mumbled.

"Well, shit, Sasuke, all you had to do was ask." Sasuke turned back to Naruto, confused. "I'll crack that ice-heart of yours, you prissy bitch of a princess." Sasuke's head snapped back at that, his eyes wide. "Pick me up tonight. We'll go clubbing or something. Pick us up some hot chicks." He paused. "Or dudes, whichever." He shrugged before flashing Sasuke another grin. The raven nearly melted.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, we work the afternoon shift tomorrow. Plenty of time to sleep in, and sleep off our hangovers." He winked. "Come get me around seven or so. And bring your bike. I enjoyed riding it." Naruto waved slightly before closing his front door, Sasuke staring at it in shock.

_That's it? That's all I had to do? _Sasuke thought, amazed. _That was easier than I thought! And—he liked my motorcycle._ Sasuke grinned as he walked down the stairs, headed for his car. _I'm taking my motorcycle **everywhere**, from now on. It means he'll be close to me. And maybe—I can be enough for him. I mean, Kiba said he was bi, right? And Kiba wouldn't lie about that._

Sasuke got into his car and paused in slamming the door as he wondered whether or not Kiba was lying. _No, he wouldn't. And if he **did** lie, he's dead. _Sasuke slammed the car door.

* * *

Iruka hummed as he mixed the spaghetti sauce he was making for Kakashi. It was past noon, and the two of them would have to leave for work in a few hours. He wanted them both to leave on full stomachs, so he'd decided to make some spaghetti. The noodles were already boiling in a pot, and the sauce was just about ready, now. 

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around the Arson Investigator from behind, causing the younger man to jump.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi nuzzled his neck, nudging his chin out of the way.

"Making lunch." Iruka smiled gently as he allowed Kakashi access to his neck.

"Mm. Since when do I eat anything besides you?" Kakashi nuzzled his neck more. Iruka blushed cutely, and decided to ignore the comment. His hands shook as Kakashi sucked particularly hard on one of his sensitive spots on his neck.

"I noticed your newbie was back at the station." Iruka gasped. He didn't want to get hot and bothered now. They both had to get to work soon.

"Mm." Kakashi agreed as he pulled away from Iruka's neck and smiled at the red mark he'd left there. "He's a fast healer, that one." Kakashi moved to suck elsewhere on the brunette's neck, wanting to leave a few presents for him before work.

"He's cute." Kakashi jerked away from Iruka's neck, his eyes wide.

"Cute?.!" he demanded. "What do you mean by 'cute'?" His eyes narrowed.

"Not cuter than you, Scarecrow." Iruka reassured as he twisted slightly to place a gentle kiss on Kakashi's lips. "Never cuter than you."

"Good, or else Mr. 'cute' would be high-tailing it out of Station Seven." Kakashi's eyes narrowed. Iruka just laughed, knowing Kakashi wasn't serious.

"You know, this one's been there for a long time." Iruka frowned. "Well, not really, but much longer than any of the others."

"It's true." Kakashi agreed as he held Iruka tightly around the waist, resting his cheek on the other's shoulder. It forced his neck into an awkward position since he was much taller than Iruka, but he didn't mind. He loved Iruka, and a sore neck wouldn't kill him.

"I think you should give him a nickname, now." Iruka insisted. "After all, Kiba was only with you for a week before he got _his_ name."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Kakashi agreed as he frowned. It had never occurred to him to give Naruto a nickname. None of the others had lasted long at Station Seven, so he'd never assumed Naruto would. _Guess Sasuke will be happy,_ he thought with a smirk.

"What are you smirking at?" Iruka demanded playfully, feeling his lover's smirk against his shoulder.

"Sasuke. And the fact that he must be ecstatic that Naruto's still around to molest."

"Has he admitted his feelings, yet?"

"Not aloud, no. But he loves Naruto, and he knows it. Kiba and I can tell, because we know Sasuke, but I don't think he's aware of that fact."

"Mm." Iruka agreed as he began to mix the boiling spaghetti noodles with a fork. "What time is it?"

Kakashi glanced at the clock, smiling slightly. "We've still got plenty of time."

The Captain's hands removed themselves from Iruka's waist, slowly trailing down his sides. He reached the bottom of Iruka's shirt and slipped his hands beneath it. The Arson Investigator shivered at the touch.

"Your hands are cold."

"Then you'll just have to warm them up, won't you?" Kakashi breathed into his ear.

The firefighter's hands roved upwards, lightly caressing the firm abdomen before continuing higher to his pectorals. As one hand brushed against a firm nipple, Iruka let out a small gasp. Kakashi smirked before taking the nipple between thumb and forefinger, tweaking it slightly.

"Fuck." Iruka moaned as he lost his grip on the fork he held, the kitchen utensil falling to the ground. "You're doing it on purpose!"

"Of course I am." Kakashi smirked.

"We're going to be late for work." Iruka gasped out as the Captain's unoccupied hand began its trek back down his abdomen, heading lower.

"I'm sure the world can wait to be saved five minutes longer." Kakashi insisted as he skillfully undid Iruka's pants with one hand. "I think you need me more than everyone else does."

Iruka couldn't help but moan his consent.

* * *

Izumo plopped down on one of the chairs around the kitchen table, glancing at the clock. He hated the afternoon shift, because it tended to be the busiest shift of all. It was like there was some unspoken rule among the populace that they should light as many fires as possible between three in the afternoon and eleven at night. The afternoon shift. How annoying. 

"Hey, Godd." Kiba fell into another chair, dropping tupperware onto the table, and then opening it. He sniffed it before nodding, putting his fork into the mysterious food he found before him and shovelling a bite into his mouth.

Izumo sighed as he turned to regard what Kiba was eating and his eyes practically fell out of his head. It was Tuna Salad Kotetsu had bought—over a month ago!

"You're _eating_ that?.!" Izumo asked, horrified. "It's been in the fridge since forever!"

"Don't worry, man." Kiba flashed him a grin. "The best before date is just a suggestion."

"No, Kiba, it-it's really not." Izumo sputtered, wondering how ill Kiba was going to be for the remainder of their shift. _If he starts puking everywhere, **I'm** not cleaning it up! The rookie can damn well do it! _

"Good _morning_!" Genma hollered as he practically _pranced_ into the main room.

"Genma, it's three in the afternoon." Kotetsu commented from the kitchen.

"Not to me it isn't." Genma grinned.

"Oh, fuck, did you get laid?" Kiba demanded just as Raidou walked in. The scarred man sported a few hickeys and had a satisfied look on his face. "Oh, Jesus Christ, you _did_ get laid." The dog-lover buried his face in his hands. "Today's going to be killer."

"I got laid." Izumo said with a frown.

"Yeah, but you and Kotetsu aren't crazy like Genma and Kakashi." Kiba's head shot up from its position. "Oh, shit! Kakashi _better_ not have gotten laid, or today is going to be _horrendous_!"

As if on cue, Kakashi came waltzing in. "Hello, my trusty fellow firefighters!"

"Oh, screw me shitless and call me a turkey." Kiba hollered angrily, throwing his arms in the air.

"Is that an offer?" Genma demanded, practically bolting across the room.

"No!" Kiba yelled, punching the perverted firefighter in the face when he got too close. Genma fell on his ass, nursing his injured nose. Kiba himself shook out his now-sore hand. "Ow."

"Hey, Kiba." He turned to his Captain. "Where's Sasuke?"

"He didn't want me to pick him up today." Kiba shrugged, turning back to the month-old Tuna Salad.

"Really? Why?" Genma asked, still rubbing his sore nose.

"Fuck if I know, man." Kiba shrugged again.

"Iruka talked to me about Naruto this morning." Kakashi commented as he leaned back against the kitchen counter, crossing his arms. "We've had him for a while, and we haven't come up with a name for him yet."

"Hey, you're right." Kotetsu murmured, somewhat shocked. "I think we just never figured he would stick around, so it never really occurred to us that he's here to stay."

"What should we call him?" Izumo inquired.

"Sexy-boy!" Genma hollered.

"No, Genma." Kakashi sighed as Raidou hit his lover across the back of the head.

"Genma's Boy-Toy!"

"_No_, Genma." Kakashi's eyebrow twitched slightly, and Raidou hit him _harder_ across the back of the head.

"Then _you_ think of something." Genma grumbled, miffed. "Here I am, giving suggestions, but do _they_ listen to me? _No_." the firefighter muttered to himself, annoyed.

"I think Sasuke should choose his name." Gaara suddenly piped up, causing everyone to jump, as they'd never heard him enter. "He and Naruto seem to be on better terms, and I think it would further their friendship if Sasuke were to choose it."

"Sasuke will choose something gloomy." Genma insisted. "Like 'Death II' or 'Assassin' or something."

"No, not for him." Kiba insisted as he finished off the Tuna Salad. "He'll call him 'Sunshine' or something, just to piss him off."

Kotetsu was staring at Kiba as the brunette wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Did you just eat my month-old Tuna Salad?" Kiba cocked an eyebrow at the abrupt change of subject.

"Yeah."

"Kakashi, if he hurls, can we have the rookie clean it up?" Kotetsu inquired.

"He's not a rookie." All turned to Gaara, stunned at the venom in his voice. "You should stop treating him as one."

The door leading in from the Rig Bay suddenly slammed open, Naruto bouncing into the room with a grin on his face. "Yo!"

"What's got you in such a mood?" Raidou asked with a frown.

"I just totally kicked Sasuke's ass at basketball." Naruto grinned as he made his way to the coffee machine. "He's pretty upset."

"Oh no." Kiba paled. "A pissed off Sasuke for eight hours?"

The door opened for a second time and all of them braced themselves for the waves of hatred—only to be greeted by a smiling Uchiha. He wasn't _smirking_, and he wasn't _grinning_. He was actually _smiling_!

Kiba's eyes all but fell out of his head.

"Dude!" He grabbed the person closest to him, who happened to be Genma. They both stared at Sasuke, their cheeks inches apart. "Is Sasuke _smiling_?.!"

"Sweet Mary, mother of God." Genma breathed.

"Do you think he's sick?" Kiba demanded urgently.

"He's gotta be! He's _smiling_!"

"It's kind of creepy." the dog-lover admitted with a wince as the smile was directed at them before he walked up to Naruto to steal his cup of coffee.

"Kind of? This is _Sasuke_! 'Sasuke' and 'smiling' have never been uttered in the same sentence before." Genma whispered, his voice getting lower with each word, as if afraid Sasuke would overhear them.

"Shape-shifting aliens?" Kiba inquired.

"Only explanation." Genma agreed.

"Fuck, I hope he doesn't anal-probe us." Kiba winced.

"Speak for yourself."

"You're sick, Genma." The RIT team individual sighed.

"I try, Inuzuka. I try." Genma kissed his cheek, causing Kiba to lurch away from him, effectively falling out of his chair and onto his ass.

* * *

Gaara backed the huge rig into the Rig Bay, Naruto helping him direct it back in as Kotetsu waited in Truck Ten for his own chance to enter the Bay. The other firefighters had entered the firehouse and were just lazing around, having returned from a false alarm. 

Kiba stared at Sasuke, who was sitting on one of the couches in the room, the smile he'd worn that morning still plastered on his pale face. The brunette's eyes narrowed before he finally stood and stalked towards the raven. He stood right beside him, Sasuke directing the smile at him.

"Hey, Kiba. Lovely day, huh?"

Kiba hesitated. "Did you get laid?" he blurted out.

The smile disappeared, Sasuke sighing. "No, unfortunately. Although it would've been nice."

"Then what's with the creepy smile?.!" Kiba demanded, tugging at his hair. "You've got me scared shitless here, man! Sasuke Uchiha does a lot of things, but one thing he does _not_ do is _smile_! What's up?"

"Nothing. I played basketball with Naruto." The smile reappeared. "After having 'accidentally' fallen on top of him while going down the stairs." His smile turned into a grin. "After he woke up from having slept his hangover off at my place." His grin turned maniacal. "After having gotten completely trashed last night and snuggled with me on my motorcycle while we drove back to my place."

"You didn't—_do_ anything to him while he was…" he trailed off. "You know."

"No." Sasuke smirked. "Not much, anyway."

Kiba paled. Naruto was going to have a fit if he ever found out. _Remember the plan! Move to Mexico! _Kiba reminded himself.

"Yo!" Naruto appeared at the door. "That crazy green man is coming!"

"What?.!" everyone hollered.

"Don't let him in!" Kakashi screamed urgently, bolting for the door. He pulled Naruto inside before slamming the door shut and locking it.

"Kotetsu and Gaara are still out there!" Naruto insisted.

"I hate to have sacrifices, but it's necessary!" Kakashi insisted.

"We can't just _leave _them out there to be at his mercy!"

"We can, and we _will_!" Kakashi's eyes were wide and panicked. He let a small shudder shake his frame as he heard the booming voice of Gai Maito outside. He was asking Gaara where Kakashi was.

"Shit!" The Captain bolted for the bunk-room. "I'm not here! Tell him I died in the last fire!" He flew under one of the beds.

"We can't tell him that!" Raidou insisted. "And how _dare _you say that?.! What if you jinxed yourself?.!"

There was banging on the door. "Hello my youthful, vigorous friends! It is I, Gai Maito!" a booming voice declared from the other side of the door. "I have come with rejuvenating snacks and many, many affections for all of you! And most especially for wonderful Kakashi Hatake, my most esteemed rival and companion!"

"Is there a back door?" Naruto whispered to the others.

"Of course!" Izumo hissed. "We wouldn't just have _one_ door!"

"Can we escape?" Naruto asked. "Or do you think he'd catch us?"

"He owns a gym." Genma said thoughtfully. "He's probably pretty fit."

"So are we." Kiba insisted.

"But _that_ fit?" Genma motioned the door.

"Fair enough."

"Excuse me, Mr. Maito?" All heads turned to the door as they heard Gaara speak.

There was silence for a while, but they could hear whispering. Seconds later, footsteps were heard running away. A car peeled out of the parking lot immediately afterwards. All the firefighters within the firehouse shared a look.

Gaara knocked on the door. "He's gone, open the door."

Izumo hesitated, but complied. Gaara walked in calmly, followed by Kotetsu. Gai was nowhere in sight. He really _had_ gone.

"What did you do?" Naruto asked, utterly amazed, but also confused.

"I scared him off." Gaara replied easily.

"Is he gone?" a muffled voice demanded from the bunk-room.

"Yes, Mr. Chicken-shit, he's gone." Sasuke replied calmly.

All of the firefighters breathed sighs of relief as they regrouped in the main room. Kakashi looked around at them before calling them all to the table. They complied, sitting or standing around the small table.

"This morning, I was discussing Naruto's lack of nickname with the other firefighters." Kakashi informed Sasuke. "As he's been here a while, and will probably remain here for some time, I've decided we should award him with a nickname."

"Really?" Naruto asked excitedly. "For real? Sweet!"

"Sasuke. We've decided you'll be the one to give him his nickname."

"What?.!" Naruto hollered. "He'll give me something stupid! Like 'Sunshine'!"

"That's what I said." Kiba snickered. Naruto glared at him.

Sasuke ignored them, though. _So, I can choose my little blond's name, can I?_ He turned to look at Naruto, smirking slightly. _All right, it'll have to be something cute, but powerful. Strong, yet submissive. What kind of name has all of those qualities **and** doesn't sound stupid? He won't agree to a name he dislikes, and I want him to like it right away. If he doesn't like it, he'll think I'm doing it on purpose. What name?_ Sasuke pursed his lips as he frowned.

"Pst." Sasuke turned to his neighbour, feeling a hand putting something into his. He frowned at Kotetsu, the other man just winking. No one was paying attention to them, because Genma, Kiba and Naruto were currently in an argument about what kind of name Sasuke would give him. Genma insisted it would be horny, Kiba said it would be cute, and Naruto just kept telling them to piss off and stop giving Sasuke ideas.

The raven opened the piece of paper Kotetsu had slipped him, reading the note.

'_What kind of name are you looking for?'_

Sasuke pulled a pen out of his pocket, scrawling down a reply.

'_Who says I'm looking for a specific kind of name?'_ he showed Kotetsu the reply, since the other firefighter had another piece of paper. He replied on it.

'_You're not fooling anyone, Uchiha. You want him. Get over it, and tell me. I'll give you a cool Japanese equivalent.'_

Sasuke thought about it for a bit. Naruto would never know what it meant, and it would probably be cool, since the Japanese words for certain things were pretty cool.

'_Cute, powerful, strong, submissive, and **not** stupid.'_ Sasuke glanced at Kotetsu. The driver frowned as he thought for a little bit before scrawling a reply, the argument between the other three having turned into a small fistfight. Sasuke suspected he and Kotetsu would be able to speak aloud, at this point, since no one was paying attention to them at all.

'_There's an old legend about a Demon Fox in Japan. It's called the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It was trapped in the most basic way and forced to be a slave to its captor. Foxes are cute, but this one was powerful. He was strong, but had to be submissive towards his master. And Kyuubi is a pretty kick ass name.' _Kotetsu smirked at Sasuke, waiting for a reaction.

He got the one he was expecting.

"I've thought of a name."

The fistfight halted abruptly, Genma holding Kiba in a headlock while the brunette had his hand on Genma's chest, obviously delivering a nipple-twister. Naruto had jumped onto Genma's back to make him let Kiba go, and all the other firefighters were watching the show. Izumo had gone so far as to get a bunch of Smarties from his locker.

"You have?" Genma inquired, as if completely oblivious to the man on his back, and the other twisting his nipple. "Do tell!" he sounded so enthusiastic.

Sasuke smirked.

"From now on, the dumbass' name will be Kyuubi."


	11. Pants That Are Too Tight

**Disclaimer: Naruto came to my house and beat me over the head with my toaster for claiming to own him. K. Masashi pointed and laughed at me for it...**

**Warning: Lime-like content. :smiles: Please be nice... First time, really... :sweatdrops:**

* * *

Sasuke stumbled through his front door, his lips hungrily devouring the other set before him. His left hand was buried in blond hair while his right fought to bring the other man closer. Eager lips pressed back just as forcefully, Naruto jumping up to wrap his legs around Sasuke's waist. The raven stumbled slightly at the added weight, but regained his balance and slammed Naruto into the closest wall. 

The Uchiha pried his lips from the blond's and brought them to his neck, biting down hard. The pain seemed to turn Naruto on even more, the firefighter gasping and holding Sasuke even tighter. _Hn, masochist,_ the raven thought with a smirk as he pulled back and pushed away from the wall, stumbling towards the stairs with the other man.

"Fuck, Sasuke. _Fuck_!" Naruto panted, his erection digging into Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke's own erection was almost painful. He couldn't wait to relieve a little tension with his favourite blond.

"Yeah." Sasuke panted as he began to climb the stairs. "That's the idea."

Naruto grabbed at Sasuke's hair painfully, meshing their lips together again. God, Sasuke would never grow tired of that taste. He couldn't quite place it, but it was purely _Naruto_. He would never be able to settle for anything else ever again. It would be this taste, or nothing at all.

Sasuke stumbled down the corridor with Naruto, accidentally knocking a lamp over from the hall table. It fell to the floor and broke, but Sasuke paid it no mind. Naruto didn't seem to care much, either.

The raven kicked his door open, practically throwing himself and Naruto onto the bed. Their clothed erections ground together as they landed, causing Sasuke to gasp, and Naruto to cry out in pleasure. He clutched at Sasuke desperately, pulling the other firefighter's groin closer to his so the friction would return.

"_Fuck_, Sasuke! I can't wait anymore!" Naruto panted.

Sasuke smirked as he pulled away slightly, his arms shaky due to the pleasure zipping up and down his spine.

"You can't wait, huh?" he teased as he grabbed the hem of Naruto's shirt and yanked it roughly off the blond. Naruto helped him as much as possible, trying to hurry Sasuke up. The sooner he was naked, the sooner the other man would follow.

Sasuke threw the shirt into one of the corners in his room, not caring where it landed, if it landed, or if the floor decided to swallow it up for its own twisted pleasure. All he cared about was himself, Naruto, and his bed. He grabbed the top of Naruto's pants and the blond arched his back, his hips raised in the air to aid Sasuke in removing them. The raven made quick work of them, pulling them off roughly without undoing them, causing Naruto to let out another cry of pleasure as the pants slid across his erection on their way down. Naruto's boxers followed shortly after.

Sasuke sat up to admire the blond, his eyes memorizing ever curve of his body. Sweat was already starting to form on his skin, the blond panting with his eyes at half-mast.

"Please. Sasuke, I need you so bad! Hurry up!" Naruto moaned as he threw his head back, waiting impatiently for the raven to get naked.

"All right." Sasuke smirked as he stood up. "You asked for it." He began to undo his belt, his eyes roving hungrily over the blond's tanned skin. He was just about to pull off his pants to free his erection, when—

_

* * *

When I find out what that noise is... I'm going to make sure I never hear it again. _

Sasuke was murderous. No, he was _beyond_ murderous. He was _homicidal_! The person who was currently ringing his doorbell—was going to die. First, he was going to break all of his fingers. Then, he would break his wrists. If there was one time _never_ to wake up an insomniac, it was when he was dreaming about fucking the man of his dreams.

Sasuke stood up, wrapping his sheets around his waist as he did so, since he slept in the nude. He also wanted to hide his very obvious erection. Still cursing colourfully in his head, and imagining all the pain he was going to inflict on the person on the other side of his door, he walked slowly down the stairs, the continuous ringing of his doorbell beginning to give him a headache.

He walked slowly towards the door, his eyebrow twitching by now, and wrenched it open after having unlocked it.

"I'm going to fuck you—Naruto!" Sasuke's eyes widened as he realized what he'd just accidentally said. His erection hardened and he winced slightly.

Naruto was staring at Sasuke with a cocked eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I-I was going to say—fuck you up, but—hi." Sasuke figured that being woken up by the same person he was dreaming about was all right. Of course, it wasn't as fun, since he couldn't do the same things with _this_ Naruto, but at least it could _potentially_ turn into that.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Naruto winced. "I forgot you were an insomniac."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Sasuke waved one hand, yawning as he did so. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Almost three."

"Ah. Right." Sasuke sighed, stretching slightly. It was hard to stretch completely when one hand was still holding up the sheet. "You want to come in, or..." Sasuke trailed off, letting Naruto finish it for him.

"Yeah, sure." The raven moved aside so the other man could enter, closing the door once Naruto had cleared it.

"So, what brings you to my place so bright and early, Uzumaki?" Sasuke joked as he walked rather painfully towards the kitchen.

"Actually, a few things." Naruto trailed behind him, his eyes locking on the raven's ass. Sasuke had succeeded in covering his front, but his ass was in plain sight, for the world to see. _He really needs a tan,_ Naruto thought with a small smile. _Then again, he's kind of cute all pale like that. And he's got a muscular ass._

"And those would be?" Sasuke's voice snapped Naruto out of his musings of the other man's ass, forcing his eyes back to a more respectable place—like the raven's shoulder blades.

"Well, firstly, I wanted to challenge you to another game of basketball." He flashed the raven a grin as he sat down at the table, Sasuke shuffling towards his coffee machine to turn it on. "And secondly, I wanted to know if you'd like to go out tonight. A bunch of friends from high school want to hang out with you and the others from Seven. I said I'd try and arrange it, but it's pretty short notice, you know? If you can't make it, that's fine. I'll—"

"I can come." Sasuke insisted, and then winced at the word he used. He was still painfully hard, and having Naruto in his kitchen with him really wasn't helping in getting rid of his little problem.

"Really? Great! Kiba said he'd be around, too. I haven't heard back from the others. We're meeting at—"

"What's the point in telling me, you know you're going to end up asking me to pick you up." Sasuke turned and smirked at the blond. "You love riding my motorcycle."

"Well, since you offered, sure." Naruto grinned, both hands behind his head. "I accept. Now hurry up and get some clothes on. I want to whip your ass at basketball."

"Yeah, yeah." Sasuke muttered as he shuffled back towards the door. "Pour me a cup of coffee when it's ready, will you?"

"Sure thing." Naruto waved him off.

Sasuke walked back up the stairs and disappeared into his room, closing the door. He took a deep breath once he was in the safety of his room and let the sheet drop. He knew Naruto would complain, but he needed a shower. Stat.

He trudged purposefully across his room, disappearing into his bathroom without bothering to close the door. He ran the shower, making it as cold as he would be able to take, and then got under the spray. The chilling water caused goose bumps to appear almost instantly, and he shivered. It didn't make his erection recede, though. Damn.

After five minutes, and still no help from the chilling water, Sasuke let out a sigh. _Looks like I'm going to have to take care of this problem the old-fashioned way._ He really didn't want to be jacking off to thoughts of the man currently sitting in his kitchen, but he'd never be able to get rid of his erection otherwise.

Taking a deep, shuddery breath, Sasuke closed his eyes and reached down, his hand travelling along his toned stomach. He was just about to wrap it around his erection when he heard something breakable being placed on his marble counter. His eyes snapped open.

He hastily pulled the curtain back just enough to poke his head out, nearly dying as he saw Naruto standing in his bathroom, one cup of coffee on his counter, the other in the blond's hand as he looked around.

"What are you doing in here?.!" Sasuke all-but shouted, turning red.

Naruto turned to him slowly, cocking an eyebrow. "What are you so embarrassed about? I've seen you naked before. We've _showered_ together numerous times at work." He took a sip of his coffee.

"That's at work, this is my home!"

Naruto's eyebrow cocked even further. "Do you look different or something? Last I checked, it didn't matter where you showered, your body didn't suddenly morph depending on the location."

"I like my privacy!" Sasuke bit out, hoping to God his erection wasn't noticeable from the blond's angle.

"Geez, aren't _we_ touchy." Naruto rolled his eyes. "And after I came all this way to see you."

"Come to think of it, how did you find my house, anyway?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Was the blond spying on _him_, now?

"I asked Kiba." _Okay, so maybe I'm too paranoid,_ Sasuke sighed, shaking his head.

_Don't you mean hopeful? _his inner pervert asked with a smirk.

_Shut up!_

"Anyway, you seem to be a little uncomfortable, so I'm just going to go back to the kitchen with my coffee." He held up his cup of coffee before turning to leave. Sasuke was about to retreat back behind the safety of the shower curtain when Naruto spoke again.

"Hey, Uchiha." The raven looked at him. "I never really did thank you for the nickname. I thought you were going to give me something stupid, but—I kinda like it. It's cool. So, thanks." Naruto gave him a genuine smile before turning and disappearing back into Sasuke's room, the raven's bedroom door slamming a few seconds later.

_Oh my God, I want to fuck that blond idiot into the bed **so badly**!_ Sasuke thought as he gave up on the mildly cold shower and turned it down to freezing. His hand returned to its previous position before the blond had interrupted him. He could only hope he didn't scream Naruto's name as he came.

* * *

Sasuke climbed off his motorcycle, smiling slightly as Naruto made a mad dash for the door to the bar. The raven just chuckled as he shook his head, unable to understand why Naruto was so eager to get completely trashed. The blond seemed to enjoy being drunk, from what Sasuke could tell. 

The Uchiha calmly walked after the other man, entering the bar shortly after. He scanned the crowd and easily spotted the mesh of frighteningly bright blond hair. He made his way towards that particular table, seeing Naruto practically strangling someone as he hugged them tightly.

It was Neji, Sasuke soon realized as he moved closer, and had he not known the Hyuuga was going to be marrying Tenten, he would've been jealous Naruto was hugging him like that.

"Hey, stalker!" Sasuke jumped a mile high as a hand fell down onto his shoulder, and he turned to deliver its owner a vicious glare. "Don't give me _that_ look, it's because of you I keep having to fix Naruto's car." The man patted his shoulder before passing him. A girl followed seconds later, and the last person to pass was Gaara.

"Are these your siblings?" Sasuke jerked his head in the direction of the man and woman.

"Yes. Temari and Kankurou." Gaara replied before nodding to Neji and taking his seat.

"Oh my God!" All turned to Kankurou as he ran around the table towards Kiba's girlfriend. "Hinata! You've been robbed!" he exclaimed frantically as he pulled her out of her seat and spun her around. "Your ass is gone!"

Temari chuckled as Hinata blushed cutely, Kiba's eye twitching due to Kankurou now touching _his_ girlfriend's ass. Neji didn't seem too concerned. He was used to Kankurou being an idiot.

"Hinata used to be fat in high school." Sasuke turned to Naruto as he suddenly found the blond beside him.

"But you all know each other." Sasuke insisted as he turned back to the table, Kiba now yelling at Kankurou to stop touching his girlfriend. "Don't you all hang out?"

"Nah." Temari said as she waved her hand in the air. "We all knew each other way back when, and we'll call on occasion to catch up and stuff, but we tend to stick to our own domains. Wal-Mart," she motioned Naruto, herself and her brother, "and firehouse." She motioned almost everyone else. "Oh, and police, too, I guess. Hey, Shino!" she called over Naruto and Sasuke's shoulders. The quiet boy made his way towards them, raising his hand in greeting. "We all know what's going on with who because of Naruto."

"S'right." Naruto grinned. "I'm the cool one in the group, because everyone always stays in touch with me."

"Are you kidding? If I lost touch with you, I'd have no one to complain about." Neji smirked.

"Hey!" Naruto pouted. "You know, that was hurtful."

"We can tell." Tenten teased.

"Shut up!" Naruto pouted even more, crossing his arms.

"Come on, stalker. Have a seat." Temari motioned the two seats beside her, Naruto jumping into one of them.

"I have a name." Sasuke grumbled as he took the only remaining seat.

"Oh, we know." Kankurou smirked from across the table. "But we figure if you're going to stalk our little bother, we should give you a name more suitable."

"Your—brother?" Sasuke looked at Naruto, utterly confused.

"Long story." The blond grinned. "Basically, they consider me their sibling, since we've known each other for so long."

Sasuke had a hard time keeping track of all the conversations, and had an even harder time trying to remember everyone's names. Most of the people there called him 'stalker,' even if they knew his name. Kiba had even gone as far as saying he would rename Sasuke that once they got back to the station.

"Forget Death, man!" the dog-lover had exclaimed. "Stalker sounds _much_ better. More like you, you know?"

Sasuke had thrown a beer bottle at him.

* * *

Three hours later, and most of the people at the bar were drunk. Sasuke himself had only had one beer, since he was going to be driving himself and Naruto home, but that had been right when they'd arrived, so the alcohol was now almost completely out of his system. 

The raven sat back in his chair with his arms crossed, watching as Naruto, Kiba, Kankurou and Shino played a game of pool. Kiba and Kankurou had seemed to hit it off once Hinata's ass was out of the picture, and they'd spent most of the night making fun of Sasuke together. The Uchiha knew he was going to regret having come, because now, the two of them were going to make his life a living hell whenever he saw _either_ of them.

Neji sat down in the chair beside Sasuke, following the raven's line of sight to the boisterous blond who was arguing drunkenly with Kankurou about his last shot.

"He's something, isn't he?" Sasuke turned to Neji as the Hyuuga spoke. He then returned his gaze to Naruto.

"Yeah."

"You know, when I first met him, I was a bit like you." Neji confided. "I cared about nothing and no one. I hated everyone around me and wanted them all to leave me alone. Twenty minutes with him, and I was a completely different person." Neji smiled slightly at the memory.

"I think you and I have had very different pasts." Sasuke stated dryly.

"I never said our pasts were the same." Neji retorted, getting annoyed. "I merely said our attitudes were similar. Naruto has a way of bringing out the best in people. I suggest you confide in him if you want to change. If not, don't expect him to keep trying. Even _he_ has his limits." Neji stood. "If someone can't be helped, he's not going to waste his time with them, that's all."

Sasuke let the other firefighter walk away, somewhat ignoring what he'd said. He'd already decided for himself he was going to confide in Naruto. There was just something about the blond that pulled people in; made them want to get closer to Naruto. This was obvious, based on all the friends he had. Most of them had known each other in high school, yet the only person all had kept in touch with was Naruto. He was amazing like that.

Sasuke sighed as he glanced at his watch, and winced. It was nearing five in the morning. Naruto had to work at Wal-Mart at noon, and then they all had the night shift at the station. He was going to have to deal with a grouchy, tired, hung-over Naruto. Wonderful.

With that in mind, the raven stood and walked towards the pool table, where Naruto was leaning against Kankurou as the two of them laughed.

"Hey, dumbass." Sasuke said.

"Stalker!" Kankurou exclaimed, throwing both hands in the air. "Have you come to join the losing streak?.!"

"No." Sasuke said with a frown. Kankurou had only had two beers, as far as he was aware of, and the man was drunk? _Talk about not being able to hold your liquor,_ the Uchiha thought.

"Sasuke!" Naruto stumbled away from Kankurou and practically fell into Sasuke's arms, the other man holding him up. Naruto leaned forward, and Sasuke's heart beat faster in his chest as the blond's lips grazed his cheek on their way to his ear. "I kinda won, but I didn't at the same time." He giggled. "Shino's pissed at me."

"Okay, I think you've had enough." Sasuke smirked. "Time to go home."

"I don't wanna!" Naruto whined like a child.

"Regardless of whether you want to or not, it's in your best interest." Sasuke sighed. "Come on, let's go."

"No." Naruto whined, even as he dropped his pool cue onto the table and allowed Sasuke to drag him out, one arm draped over the raven's shoulders so Sasuke could help him walk easier.

"Don't do anything to him!" Kiba hollered drunkenly from the pool table. "It's not fair!"

"Yeah, yeah." Sasuke muttered under his breath. "We're leaving." he called to the group of people as he passed their table. "I'll probably see you all around."

"Bye, stalker." Temari smirked. Sasuke just ignored her and dragged Naruto out the door.

"Geez, idiot, why did you have to go and get completely trashed?" he muttered as he dragged Naruto towards his motorcycle. "You better not fall off, I swear to God."

"I'm not _that_ drunk." Naruto chuckled, leaning more heavily on the Uchiha. Sasuke stumbled slightly, but regained his balance. Thank God he was a firefighter.

"Come on, get on." Sasuke pushed Naruto onto his motorcycle, plopping a helmet on the blond's head before getting on himself and securing his own helmet. He ensured Naruto's arms were secured around his waist before kicking off the ground and turning his motorcycle around.

As they zoomed down the street, he continued to pull on Naruto's hands to make sure they stayed around his waist every chance he got. As they were nearing his house, he almost had a heart attack when Naruto's grip loosened, and then practically died when the blond's hands lowered. His hands had already been low on the raven's hips, so for them to dip even lower caused a part of his body to stir which he really would've rather not had stir at that particular moment in time. Especially with Naruto's _hands_ there.

"Mm. You're hard." Naruto mumbled over the roar of the engine and the wind whipping past their faces.

Sasuke almost lost control of the bike as Naruto's left hand rubbed against his groin slightly. The Uchiha hastily stopped the bike and wrenched Naruto's hands away, even though his body screamed angrily at him. A small voice at the back of his mind—the one he often found himself arguing with—was screaming _'Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!'_ in a loud, obnoxious voice.

"Shut up." he growled angrily to his internal voice.

"Mm?" Naruto asked, sounding half-asleep.

"Nothing. Don't do that again." he ordered.

"But you liked it."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "Despite that, I'm also _driving_. Motorcycles are more dangerous than cars. If we lean too far one way, the bike will fall over. I can't have you distracting me like that."

"You still liked it." Sasuke could hear the teasing tone in Naruto's voice. He growled and put Naruto's hands back around his waist, hoping the blond would keep them there.

As they continued driving, Naruto's hands moved up this time. Sasuke figured he could deal with that a lot more than if they travelled back down.

Once they'd arrived back at Naruto's, Sasuke stopped his motorcycle and got off his bike, turning to help him. He pulled the helmet off first, placing it on the ground before helping the blond off the bike. Naruto stumbled and grabbed hold of Sasuke before giggling like an idiot.

"You're such a moron." Sasuke sighed, shaking his head.

"But you love me anyway." Naruto teased. Sasuke blushed cutely at that, but decided to ignore it. His helmet hid the blush from his co-worker, anyway.

"Come on. I'm helping you to the door, then leaving your ass there if that's where you pass out."

"Why?" Naruto asked as Sasuke made his way to the door. "Why not stay with me?"

Sasuke froze in his steps, turning to look at Naruto. Was he _serious_? He wanted Sasuke to spend the night? _Well, he spent the night at your place last time, didn't he? So what's wrong with you spending the night here?_

"You—want me to?"

"Sure." Naruto breathed against his neck. Sasuke shivered.

"All right. Wait here."

Sasuke sat Naruto down on his front porch, trotting back to his motorcycle. He pulled the key out of the ignition and picked up the helmet he'd placed on the floor. He then pulled off his own helmet before walking back towards Naruto. The blond was holding out a key to Sasuke. As the raven bent to grab it, Naruto moved his hand away, smirking. Sasuke scowled and leaned forward more to grab the key, but Naruto continued to pull it out of his grasp.

The raven growled low in his throat, pulling back and just glaring down at the drunken blond. Naruto giggled stupidly. "You're so cute when you're mad, Sasuke." He held the key out again and Sasuke snatched it out of his hand before he could retreat it. He walked past Naruto and unlocked the front door. He hurriedly put the two helmets into the hall closet before walking back outside to pick up his drunken friend.

He manoeuvred the two of them into the house, closing and locking the door behind himself before dropping the keys on the hall table. With a grunt, he trudged towards the stairs with Naruto, pulling the blond upstairs. Once they reached the top, he walked to the other man's room, knowing where it was due to his pranks.

He walked into the room and sat Naruto down on his bed, the blond leaning back, propping himself up on his elbows as he regarded the panting Uchiha.

"You're out of shape, Sasuke. Must not be getting laid enough."

"What's with you?" Sasuke demanded with a glare. "Why are you acting like this?"

_It could be because he's drunk,_ the voice Sasuke hated supplied.

_No, it's **not** because he's drunk. He was drunk **last** time, too,_ Sasuke argued back.

_But he passed out last time. That's why you brought him home, because it was closer. This time, he's still awake. Maybe he gets horny. Go for it._

_Shut up!_

Sasuke shook his head violently, trying to dispel the annoying voice in his head he was _sure_ belonged to Genma. It even _sounded_ like the perverted firefighter.

"Do you need anything else?" Sasuke ground out, forcing himself to remain calm.

"Yeah, I do."

Before Sasuke could react, Naruto had grabbed his hand and wrenched him forward. The raven struggled not to land on Naruto, one knee placed between the blond's legs while his hands rested on either side of his chest. Naruto smirked at him.

"You."

Naruto slowly tilted his head up further, closing the small gap between himself and Sasuke until their lips met. The Uchiha was frozen, unable to move, even if he wanted to. Naruto sensed the other's lack of participation and bit down on his lip harshly, causing Sasuke to jerk back slightly. He stared down into hazy blue eyes, Naruto giving him a lopsided smirk before reaching up again and pulling Sasuke's bottom lip between his teeth, sucking on it.

Sasuke let out an involuntary moan and threw reason out the window. He hastily altered his position, straddling the blond beneath him and bringing his lips down almost violently, forcing his tongue past pink lips. Naruto moaned deep in his throat, causing Sasuke's already tight pants to tighten even further. _Note to self, _Sasuke thought as he plundered Naruto's mouth. _No more tight pants when around Naruto. _

"Sasuke..." Naruto panted as the Uchiha removed his mouth from Naruto's and moved down to suck on his pulse. He could feel the bulge in the blond's own pants, and couldn't help but smirk. Apparently, Kiba had been telling the truth. And apparently, Naruto liked him just as much as he liked Naruto.

Growling ferally, Naruto wrenched Sasuke's head back by yanking on his hair and meshed their lips together, rolling his hips upwards against the Uchiha's. Sasuke let out a moan, which Naruto eagerly swallowed up.

As much as Sasuke was enjoying this, something at the back of his mind—one of his many annoying voices—kept screaming about how _wrong_ this was.

_He's drunk!_ that annoying little voice hollered. _He doesn't know what he's doing! _Strangely enough, the voice sounded like Raidou.

_But he panted my name, _Sasuke's perverted voice insisted.

_Doesn't mean this is right! He's **still** drunk! Stop it right now!_

_But it feels **so** good!_

_Shut up! _Sasuke thought annoyed, the voices disappearing. _I swear, I'm going to have to find out if I have multiple personalities or something. _

As Naruto leaned back to pull off Sasuke's shirt, the raven had to give in to the voice in his head—uh, the reasonable one.

"Naruto, stop." Sasuke panted, pulling away. Naruto had wrapped his legs around Sasuke's waist, making it difficult for him to get away. "Naruto, I'm sorry. You're drunk, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. You're drunk."

"No, I'm not." Naruto insisted, his voice slurring. "Don't you want this, Sasuke?" Naruto's hands left Sasuke to travel down his own covered, muscled chest and taunt stomach. Sasuke watched his hands with fascination. "Don't you want _me_? I thought you wanted me, am I wrong?" Naruto ground his hips upwards again, causing Sasuke to moan as their clothed erections rubbed against one another.

"Naruto—you're drunk." he grit out. _I won't give in, I won't give in, I won't give in—but I want to, dammit!_

"No, I'm really not." Naruto insisted as he reached up and wrapped his arms behind Sasuke's neck, pulling him back down. Sasuke kept his face away from Naruto's, one hand pushing against the blond's chest.

"Yes, you really _are_. You may not think so, but you are." Sasuke insisted. "Naruto, please! Let me go."

"I thought this was what you wanted, stalker." Naruto smirked. Sasuke growled.

"If you don't stop right now, I won't be able to stop myself!"

With that, Sasuke wrenched himself backwards, effectively escaping from Naruto's legs and falling to the ground. He hissed in pain as sparks of agony shot up his spine from the landing. Naruto sat up in bed and Sasuke hastily got to his feet, running out of the room. He found the closest bathroom, slammed into it, and locked the door. He jumped into the shower, clothes and all, and turned the water on to as cold as it could go.

Once he was thoroughly frozen to the bone, his lips blue, and his teeth chattering, Sasuke turned the water off.

"H-he's going t-to k-k-kill me, t-that m-man." he stuttered, shaking from the cold.

* * *

Sasuke was shaken lightly from his sleep at the sound of plates being moved around coming from the kitchen. He rolled over from his position on the couch, peeking one eye open. Everything was hazy for a few seconds before it started to clear, and he brought his watch close to his face to inspect the time. It was eleven. He'd slept more than he'd meant to. 

The raven groaned as he got to his feet, walking towards the kitchen with a yawn. He cleared the door and froze as he was greeted with Naruto's bare back. The blond man wore nothing more than a pair of black boxers, moving around his kitchen, making breakfast. Sasuke himself was still fully clothed, and his shirt was still damp in a few places from his shower.

As if sensing someone watching him, Naruto spun around from the stove, his eyes locking on Sasuke's wide ones.

"Hey." Naruto cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't." Sasuke lied, his voice much quieter than he'd meant it to be.

"Um, this is going to be a little awkward, but..." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, wincing slightly as his headache returned. "What happened last night? I don't remember anything, which is a feat for me, since I almost always remember stuff. Even when I'm drunk." He smiled sheepishly.

Suddenly, Sasuke found it hard to breathe. "Nothing. Nothing happened last night. We came home, you told me to stay, and then you passed out. Nothing unusual happened. Nothing at all."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow at Sasuke's reaction to the question. He sounded less calm than usual. Less stoic.

"Okay." he said slowly. "Um, you like eggs?"

"Huh?" Sasuke couldn't keep up with the change of subject. His mind was replaying all the events of the night before.

"Eggs. You know, from chickens. Or ducks, depending." Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah, right." Sasuke shook his head. "Eggs, of course. What about them?"

Naruto stared at him a long while. "Do you like them?"

"Yes." Sasuke blurted out. "Yes, they're fine."

"All right. Scrambled?"

"Sure."

"Cool." Naruto turned back to the stove, picking up a spatula. Sasuke was still staring at his well-toned, incredibly tanned back. He had to force himself to leave the kitchen before he did anything stupid.

The raven plopped down on the couch he'd been sleeping on, lacing his fingers together and resting his hands against his forehead. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" he hissed, annoyed, hitting his head each time he said the word. He needed to get Naruto in bed, and he needed to get him in bed _now_. The question was—how should he go about it? Flat-out ask him? Play it up, act like a good boyfriend, or something? He didn't _know_, dammit!

He'd known for as long as he could remember that he preferred guys to girls, but he'd never actually _had_ a boyfriend! Just the casual lay here or there, nothing serious. But he didn't _want_ a casual lay with Naruto. He didn't _want_ a one-night stand. He wanted something more—permanent.

The doorbell rang, snapping the raven out of his musings.

"Shit, can you get that for me?" Naruto called from the kitchen.

"Uh, sure."

Sasuke stood and went to the front door. He unlocked the door, having thankfully remembered to lock it the night before, and pulled it open. He stared out at the man standing before him. He was slightly shorter than Sasuke, but not by much. An inch, two, at the most. His hair was black like Sasuke's, but the style was different. And right now, his glare was reaching an intensity Sasuke could only dream of reaching.

"Who the hell are _you_," the man before him hissed vehemently, "and what are you doing in my boyfriend's house?.!"

Sasuke's heart plummeted to the bottom of his feet, only to be stepped on violently as he jerked away from the door.


	12. Of Beauty and Fires

**A/N: I won't be updating every day (I can try, but there's no guarantee for this one) but I figured I'd be nice and update today since I finished it earlier. **

**Disclaimer- :Itachi laughs as he runs away with the authoress, intent on torturing her for claiming to own him and all other Naruto characters when it's clear K. Masashi owns them.:**

**A/N 2: Oh, and you can all blame Sai's appearance on TimeFlys, lol. She requested Sai, so I obliged. **

**A/N 3: Most of you are wondering what happened to Sarge because I get giggley and stupid and can't write lemons or limes because of it. The answer: Yes, I am still Sarge. I have recently discovered that getting me high on chocolate numbs my senses... and I can therefore write smut. So, I may very well end up writing lemons one of these days. But not on this site. We're not allowed. On AFF, maybe. But that's only MAYBE. It's a possibility, not a certainty.**

* * *

Naruto heard the outburst and almost dropped the plates he was holding. 

"Oh, no fucking way!" The blond practically hurled the plates onto the kitchen table and bolted for the front door. He skidded to a halt as he saw the angry man glaring at his co-worker. The two of them seemed to be trying to intimidate the other away, but Naruto could've told either of them that it wasn't going to happen.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Naruto rubbed his face, his arrival finally being registered by both ravens.

"Naruto, who the fuck is this?" The other man jerked his head in Sasuke's direction.

"Jesus Christ, Sai, I _told_ you it was _over_!" Naruto insisted as he walked towards the door. "Why do you keep coming around?"

"You never gave me a reason for our break-up." Sai Baikan hissed, his eyes still locked angrily on Sasuke.

"Let's see," Naruto growled, "you were possessive, you were aggressive, you were violent, you were too rough in bed, and, oh yeah, you obsessed over my _penis_!"

Sasuke turned to Naruto, one eyebrow cocked. Sai just growled angrily, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So you've gone and replaced me, have you?"

"Sasuke's not my boyfriend." Naruto said in a low voice, the fact that he'd finally been caught by the other man dawning on him. He had the decency to blush, at least.

"Then who _is_ he?"

"He's a co-worker. Look, Sai, I don't really have time for this. I have to be at Wal-Mart in an hour. Less than, even."

"Are you the one who stalks him?" Naruto and Sai both looked at Sasuke as the vehemence in his voice practically reverberated in the room. "Are you the one he has nightmares about?"

"Don't go acting like you know him better than me." Sai narrowed his eyes. "I was the one holding him, comforting him in his sleep when those nightmares came around. Where were _you_?"

"Enough!" Naruto hollered, rubbing his temples. This was not helping his hangover headache. "No, Sasuke, Sai is not the stalker. I don't know the stalker's name, or anything about him. Sai is a psychotic ex-boyfriend who doesn't understand the meaning of being 'broken up'. In case you care, he's a lawyer. Sai, Sasuke is not my boyfriend. He is a friend and co-worker. We went out for drinks last night, and he gave me a ride home. End of story. Sai, I'd like to speak to you outside, please."

Naruto grabbed the man's arm and pulled him outside, walking into the bright sunshine in nothing more than his boxers. The door was slammed loudly, Sasuke glaring at it before growling and turning to march back into the kitchen.

As he stood there, he scanned the room, not really knowing why. When his eyes landed on the phone, he got an idea. He marched towards it and searched through Naruto's history for a specific number. Once he found it, he called it, waiting for someone to answer on the other end.

"_Hello, Wal-Mart Orleans, how may I help you?"_

"I'd like to speak to the duty manager, please."

"_Please hold."_ The line clicked, and then began to ring again.

"_Hello, this is Brad, duty manager."_

"Hello, Brad. I'm pretty sure you were the one I talked to a few months back. I'm not sure if you remember me, but my name is Sasuke Uchiha."

"_Ah, yes, Mr. Uchiha. I do recall our conversation. What can I do for you?"_

"Naruto is having personal problems at the moment, but is unwilling to call in for time off work. Would it be possible for me to convince you to give him two weeks off, with pay?"

"_With pay? I don't think that's possible, Mr. Uchiha, as—"_

"I'll pay you two-thousand dollars."

There was a long pause on the other end. _"You'll pay me two-thousand dollars to give Naruto two weeks off with pay?"_

"Yes."

"_It's a deal, Mr. Uchiha, but I expect that money to be delivered tomorrow, at the latest."_

"Thank you. It'll be wired to you tonight. Call Naruto in five minutes to tell him he isn't needed."

Sasuke hung up before Brad could say anything else.

* * *

It took Naruto nearly ten minutes to get rid of Sai, forcing Sasuke to answer the phone every time Brad called. He was getting annoyed, and was very close to just going outside and scaring the other man away when Naruto finally re-entered the house, grumbling under his breath. He entered the kitchen and smiled sheepishly at Sasuke, rubbing the back of his head. 

"Sorry about that, Sasuke."

"Not a problem." Sasuke forced out through gritted teeth.

"Aw, man." Naruto groaned as he looked down at his eggs. "These will be gross. You should've eaten without me. I don't think I have time to make—"

The phone rang, and Sasuke almost sighed with relief. Thank God. It was about time Naruto got that damned phone call.

The blond grabbed his phone, and answered the call. It was short, and to the point, and once the blond had hung up, he'd told Sasuke about being given two weeks off with pay, not understanding why. He'd then insisted he make them both pancakes, since that was what he'd been craving earlier, but hadn't had the time to make. Sasuke was all for it—or, as all for it an Uchiha can be, anyway.

"So that man at the door, who was he?"

Naruto shrugged as he gathered all his ingredients. "An ex-boyfriend. We broke up five months ago, but he still comes around from time to time. I think he only does it for the sex, you know? I don't think he cares about me at all. He probably just can't find any other guy to screw, what with being such a psycho."

"So, you're gay, then?" Sasuke glared at his back. He'd already known Naruto was bi, but he didn't want to jeopardize Kiba's relationship with Naruto, so he would play it up.

Naruto stiffened and paused in his actions, turning his head slowly. "Are you going to kill me if I say sort of?"

"Define sort of."

"I'm bi." Naruto winced, turning back to his cooking. "I had my first girlfriend when I was fifteen, and stayed with her for two and a half years. When I turned eighteen, our relationship ended because I cheated on her with her brother." Naruto's paused in his actions once again. "It's not something I'm proud of, but I'm glad I did it. I never would've felt comfortable with myself if I hadn't finally realized I also liked men." Naruto shrugged then. "It's nothing personal between the likes and dislikes of men and women. I just have a certain type with specific qualities that can be found in both. Sometimes, I like to be dominated, and others, I like to dominate. Is that so wrong?"

"I never said it was." Sasuke replied, his hands laced together and resting against his lips, his elbows propped on the table. "It would've been nice if you'd told us, though."

"Why? So Genma could try _harder_ to rape me?" Naruto smirked over his shoulder.

"_I_ would've liked to know." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Naruto froze, their eyes locked. He let a small, nervous chuckle escape before turning back to the pancake batter, pouring a dollop of it onto a waiting frying pan.

"Why would it matter?"

"Because you've known about how I felt since almost the beginning, yet you did nothing to further the relationship."

"You were a dick." Naruto insisted, turning to glare at Sasuke. "I'm all for dating, but when someone tries to get with me via stalking, pranks and trickery, that's _not_ cool."

"Perhaps had you informed me of your preferences beforehand, I would not have resorted to such acts."

"Bullshit, Sasuke." Naruto glared, reaching for the frying pan and flipping the pancake without even looking at it. "Even your excuse of having no people skills is a better attempt of gaining my forgiveness than that crap."

"Are you so scared of me that you deliberately distanced yourself relationship-wise, Uzumaki?" Sasuke got to his feet, anger boiling in his stomach.

"And if I did?" Naruto shot back. "You have no idea what it's like being me. You may be gorgeous, Sasuke, but last I checked, you didn't have crazy stalkers coming after you all the time, or psycho ex-boyfriends coming back for a good lay. Nobody cares to know who Naruto Uzumaki is, they only want a piece of his fucking ass!" Naruto's hand slammed down on the handle of the frying pan, causing it to fly off the stove. Naruto reflexively held out his hand to catch it, letting out a cry as he burned his hand on the hot metal kitchen appliance. It clattered to the floor loudly, the pancake landing peacefully beside it.

The blond cradled his hand against his chest, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He hadn't meant to explode, but sometimes, he couldn't help himself. He kept too much inside, and when someone pushed even just a little bit, they opened the floodgates before he had the chance to close them.

"Is that really what you think?" Sasuke asked in a low voice. "Do you really think the only reason I wanted you was because you were drop-dead gorgeous?"

Naruto just grit his teeth, turning towards his sink and jerking on the cold water. He put his hand beneath the spray, ignoring Sasuke as he moved closer.

"Do you have _any_ idea what you do to me? How you can get under my skin so easily, when others have been trying for _years_ to get a reaction out of me? You don't even understand what kind of power you have over me, do you? Fuck, Naruto! I care about you so much that last night—" Sasuke cut himself off, but then forced himself to continue. "Last night, when I brought you home drunk, and you started making out with me, I forced you to stop because it wouldn't be fair to take advantage of you like that." Sasuke saw Naruto's shoulders stiffen, but he continued anyway. "You're more than just a piece of ass to me, Uzumaki, and I'm almost insulted you'd regard me so badly. If all I wanted was a tension-release fuck, I would've gone to Genma or something. It wouldn't _have_ to be you."

Sasuke bent down and picked up the frying pan, placing it back on the stove. He reached down for the pancake, throwing it out seconds later. He'd said all he had to say, and could do nothing more than wait, now.

"What is it?" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at the question.

"What is what?"

"What is it about me?" Naruto whispered. "What is it besides the blond hair and blue eyes?"

"You've had a lot of grief because of that, haven't you?" Sasuke said sympathetically.

"You know, I used to wish I was one of the ugly guys in high school." Naruto whispered, watching the water flow onto his hand and then drip off the sides. "When you're attractive, good-looking, _hot_, you can never be sure whether people like you for who you are, or if they only like you because of what you look like. If you're one of the ugly people, even if you complain and cry about how ugly you are, you can find solace in the fact that the day you find someone who claims to love you, you'll know it's true, because they won't be in it for your looks. You won't have to spend your time worrying about whether they want you, or your appearance. Physical attraction is a horrible thing, and many people tend to forget that such beauty on the outside fades with time, but beauty on the inside will remain as long as it has not been broken."

"Do you consider yourself broken, Uzumaki?" Sasuke inquired, ensuring he kept a small distance between himself and Naruto.

"I believe we're both broken, Uchiha." Naruto replied, looking over his shoulder. "I believe the two of us have reached a point where we worry over our physical appearance because we are afraid of being rejected for our inner selves. If someone does not like what they sees on the outside, and then continues not to like what they see on the inside, then it is like the person ceases to exist due to the mere fact that no one will acknowledge them. Others face the problem of being noticed too much, wherein the disappearance of that attention will cause the person to feel useless and undesirable because the lack of acknowledgement is foreign to them."

"Is that how you feel?" Sasuke took a step closer. "The Uzumaki child, forever doomed to be in the spotlight, but never to be regarded as the main character?"

"Something like that." Naruto smiled to himself, his eyes back to staring at his hand.

"You know, you're not as stupid as you seem to think." The blond's head snapped up and turned to regard Sasuke with an inquiring gaze. "You asked me what it was about you that I liked, and one of the many things is what you just said."

"Something like that?" Naruto asked, slightly confused. Sasuke just chuckled.

"No. You know how to carry on a deep conversation when you deem it necessary, and you have no problem speaking your mind. You're funny, loving, caring, and you try your best to get along with everyone, from the perverted, hyper people like Genma, to the downright impossible to get along with people, like Gaara and myself. And hey, if you can be friends with _Gaara_, then how the hell do _I_ stand a chance?" He smiled slightly, Naruto doing the same.

"You're not the bastard I thought you were, Sasuke."

"Yeah. Even _I'm_ surprised." the raven joked. Naruto flat-out laughed at that. "Come on, Uzumaki. Get that cute little ass of yours seated, and I'll finish making the pancakes."

"So you _do_ like my ass." Naruto teased as he turned off the water and cradled his damp hand against his chest.

"I may like your ass, but it's nothing compared to how much I love your heart."

* * *

"Shit, it's a cooker!" Kiba yelled over the roar of the engine and the sirens blaring above their heads. 

"Damn." Kakashi breathed. "Of all the nights we could've had a huge fire, it had to be _tonight_!"

"We're not going to get much backup, what with all the other fires downtown." Naruto screamed above the roar of the engine.

"We'll have to do with the five Engines, two Trucks, the Telesquirt and the Medic." Gaara called back as he turned a corner sharply.

"If they can spare them for us!" Sasuke complained.

"**Whoa, boss. That thing looks _hot_!" **Kotetsu hollered over the radio from Truck Ten.

"**Are we first on the scene?" **Raidou inquired.

"Yeah, it looks like it." Kakashi replied. "They can't spare a Batt Chief with all the fires going on tonight. Shit."

"**You taking Incident Command (1)?"** Raidou inquired.

"I'm going to have to. The next rig won't be here for a while, and I don't want you jeopardized." Kakashi growled low in his throat. He hated being Incident Commander. "Scarface, you're acting-Captain while I'm busy. Death, you and Kyuubi are going in the front. Arrow, I want you and Magna around the back, hosing the rear of the building. I'll get you guys help as soon as the other rigs arrive."

"**Roger."**

"**No sweat, boss."**

He received affirmatives all around seconds before they screeched onto the site. His firefighters went into action immediately, rushing out of their respective rigs and running towards the fire. The structure was a large office building, and it was unclear as to whether or not there were any people inside. Kakashi suspected there may be a janitor or something, but he couldn't be sure. It didn't mean he wouldn't send his RIT team in, though, if it was necessary. He had Izumo and Kiba standby in case they were needed. Sasuke, Naruto, Kotetsu and Genma all prepared themselves for the entry while Gaara hastily got the rig pumping water. Raidou jumped out of Truck Ten to stand somewhat in between the two different rigs in order to give them efficient orders.

Kakashi's men were quick and efficient, having already entered the building to fight the fire when the next two rigs arrived. They were short of help, and the fire was huge. Kakashi knew this would end badly, and he would probably have no choice but let the building burn down and try and contain the damage as much as possible.

Kakashi ordered Gaara and another driver from one of the other rigs to hose down the neighbouring buildings on the left, while others were told to do the same on the right. He didn't need them catching fire and burning down as well, he had enough on his hands.

"Hayate! Tenten!" he called to his two medics. Aoba stayed where he was by Medic Eight, the other two running towards Kakashi. "I need you to check the gages on both Engine Seven and Engine Two. I'm short people, and I need all the help I can get."

"You got it." Tenten rushed towards Engine Two. Hayate merely nodded before running to take Gaara's previous spot by the gages on Engine Seven.

"This is a nightmare." Kakashi whispered.

"**Hey boss, the fire's getting worse back here!"** Kotetsu hollered into his radio.

"**Yeah, Scarecrow, we need damage control back here or the rear building is going to light up like a Christmas tree." **

"Fuck!" Kakashi hollered. "Where the fuck are my two other rigs?.!" he shouted to no one in particular.

Inside, Naruto and Sasuke were finding it hard to fight the fire without getting barbecued. It was hot. Very hot. Much hotter than either of them had ever experienced before. Naruto felt like his suit was melting off and sweat was practically pouring off him in buckets.

"**Hey, Death, is it just me, or does it seem like we're doing squat in here?"**

"**It seems like we're doing squat."** the other firefighter agreed.

For his part, Hayate obediently watched the gages, ensuring the water pressure was all right and that the tank was still full. He felt something itching at the back of his eyes and cocked his head to the side as he continued to stare at the gages. Suddenly, everything went to zero, and his eyes widened. Naruto and Sasuke were no longer getting any water.

"Oh my God." Hayate whispered before whipping around. **"Naruto! Sasuke! Get the fuck out of there! Yo—" **The paramedic didn't have the time to finish his sentence. Two seconds later, Engine Seven exploded.

All the rigs on location rocked with the shockwave, Medic Eight tipping over completely sideways. All firefighters in the area were thrown clear off their feet while the ones inside stumbled and fell forward. Naruto and Sasuke soon realized they were out of water, and when one was in the heart of a huge fire, this was a bad thing.

"**What the fuck happened?.!" **Sasuke hollered into his radio.

"**Holy shit! Engine Seven just blew the fuck up!" **Kiba hollered hysterically. **"Oh my God! Hayate is—holy shit! Kakashi! Kakashi!"**

"**Kiba, help Aoba! Izumo, get Tenten over here, now!"**

"**What the fuck is going on out there?.!" **Naruto hollered, already inching backwards. He didn't like just sitting there with no water, especially if what Kiba said was true.

"**All firefighters within or around the building retreat now!" **Raidou called over Kakashi's radio, since he was Incident Command and had the right frequency. **"I repeat, all firefighters within or around the building retreat now! We have an emergency! Code White! (2)"**

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look before they hastily began to go back along the hose. They could feel the fire pressing in around them, and Naruto's breath was coming shorter and faster. He'd never been so fucking scared in his life. Were they going to roast to death?.!

Sasuke suddenly wrenched the back of Naruto's jacket, pulling him back mere seconds before the ceiling collapsed right in front of him, blocking their only escape with another wall of fire.

"**Sasuke, Naruto, get out of there! Get out of there _now_!" **Raidou hollered over his radio.

"**Oh my fucking God."** Naruto whispered as the fire closed in around them.

* * *

(1) Incident Command: Okay, every large structure fire or general emergency has to have someone in charge. This person—the Incident Commander—is basically in charge of everyone and everything, directing who goes where and who does what. This is usually the Battalion Chief's job, but when one isn't available, a Captain can assume that position. The first rig on the scene has the option of either taking Incident Command, or passing it on to the next Captain. As Kakashi is the first one there, and is uncertain as to when more help will arrive, he opted to take command. 

(2) As far as I know, a Code White means "Accident". Of course, I'm sure this varies from place to place, but we've already established I'm mixing and matching. :sweatdrop:

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuun... That's right, hate me. :grins: Also... no more psychological movies for Sarge. Gets me in a weird mood...**


	13. Cold Ramen

**A/N: Ah, Gomen, gomen. I only made you wait two days, though. Could've been much longer. Be thankful! Thankful, dammit! lol, I kid. Hope y'all enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the kiss at the beginning of the series would not have been "accidental"... but K. Masashi is mean like that.**

**IMPORTANT: No, not another hiatus, I'm not that mean, lol. It's actually about the reviews. I've recently discovered that there is a certain smiley that erases everything written after it if it is used in a review. I realized this when I reviewed someone else's work, and left a long review, only to have it cut down to about eight words because of the stupid smiley! It's the one I would've used right at the end of the previous sentence; the annoyed looking one. It's hard to describe, but I'll try my best. It's when you use the two arrows that point in opposite directions with a period in the middle. You know, you get the arrows by hitting shift and the comma or period keys. Those arrows. So if you don't want to have cut off reviews for ANYONE, avoid that face and write :annoyed: or something instead. I know it sucks, but it's better than writing an essay of a review and having it cut off, as often happens with most people. Just thought I'd let y'all know, and enjoy the chapter. **

* * *

Kiba ran to Medic Eight at full speed, skidding to a halt beside it and almost losing his balance. He hauled himself up onto the side of the small ambulance to get to the door, since it was still lying on its side. He wrenched open the door and looked inside. Aoba let out a groan. Good, at least he was still alive. 

"Aoba, hang in there, buddy." Kiba ran one hand over his eyes to rid them of the blood flowing down his face. He had a cut somewhere on his head, and it was actually more annoying than painful. It wouldn't stop bleeding into his eyes.

"Yer bleedin'." Aoba mumbled as he struggled to unfasten his seatbelt.

"Well, at least I know you're still you. Only an idiot would point out something so blatantly obvious." Kiba grunted as he grabbed Aoba's arm and pulled him out of his seat. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Would I've let ya move me'f I was?" Aoba asked with an annoyed look.

"Fair enough." Kiba pulled the other man out of the ambulance so the two of them were sitting on the side of it. "You okay to jump down?"

"Jesus, what happened?" Aoba breathed as he looked around.

"Aoba!" Tenten screamed from Kakashi's side. "I need help!"

"Alright!" he called back before turning to Kiba. "Get 'Yate."

Kiba grabbed his arm before Aoba could jump off, his eyes locked painfully on the ground. "I don't think he'll be able to help you, man."

"Oh." Aoba whispered.

"**Scarface, we're trapped!"** Kiba's head whipped up as Sasuke's voice blasted across his radio.

"_What?.!"_ Kiba hollered back as he jumped off the over-turned ambulance and bolted towards the front of the building.

"**What do you mean by trapped?"** Raidou asked.

"**Trapped, like, a wall of fire on every fucking side!"** Naruto hollered.

Kiba paused in his step and looked around. He then narrowed his eyes and bolted for Engine Two. He jumped into their Crewcab (1) and rummaged around for some equipment.

"Here." Kiba turned as he heard the voice and almost dropped the Scott Pack thrown at him. "We don't have much time."

Gaara walked away from Kiba, already snapping his mask into place. Kiba hastily pulled his own on before jumping off the rig and running after Gaara. The redhead walked up to two other firefighters who were still hosing off the side building.

"We need that." he said in a dangerous voice, turning the hose off and grabbing it from their hands.

"Wha—hey!" Gaara and Kiba ignored them, the brunette grabbing the hose right behind Gaara as the two of them rushed towards the burning building.

"**Death, Kyuubi, hang on. We're coming in."** Gaara said over his radio.

"**What?.! Sandman, are you nuts?.! Forget it, we're goners anyway!"**

"**Do you have any idea how badly Hyuuga will hurt me if I let you die?"** Gaara snapped back to Naruto. **"Shut up, stay put, and don't die."**

There was a slight pause. **"Kay." **Naruto whispered. **"Please hurry."**

"**We're almost there!" **Kiba reassured as he and Gaara began to crawl through the gloom.

They moved faster than they'd ever known was possible, following Naruto and Sasuke's hose until they reached a wall of fire that was probably the cause of Naruto and Sasuke's entrapment.

"**Okay, we've found you!" **Kiba hollered into his radio as he and Gaara got positioned. **"Hang tight and stay low, cause we're going to be making a hell of a lot of steam!"**

"**Got it." **Sasuke voiced back. **"Hurry up, we're running out of air."**

"**Shut up, you ungrateful bastard!"** Kiba hollered just as Gaara opened the nozzle and slammed back into Kiba. The brunette let out a small groan, shaking his head, effectively sending droplets of blood onto the front of his mask. _Terrific,_ he thought with a sigh. _We need to get out of here before blood fills up my mask and I drown in it._

The two of them proceeded to water down the entire area in front of them, occasionally seeing Naruto and Sasuke through the flames. It would take a while, but Gaara was confident the other two would make it back out alive. If they didn't, then neither would he.

* * *

Itachi watched the scene happening below him from the roof of a nearby building, a cigarette trapped between his lips. He had to admit, he hadn't watched his brother tackling fires in a while, and he'd forgotten how good he could be. 

Of course, he was also very angry. What was _he_ doing here? When had _he_ transferred into Station Seven? Having him here defeated the purpose of trying to kill his brother, because he risked killing _him_, too! Dammit, why couldn't he just be a smart little boy and stay where he was fucking assigned?.!

"Tch." he let out, annoyed. He pulled out another cigarette and lit it with the end of his dying one before throwing it off the roof of the building and inhaling on his new one.

Then again, it didn't seem like he had to worry. Not right now, anyway. Even though Sasuke and Naruto weren't exiting the building, two other firefighters he'd never caught the names of had run in to help them. They would be out any minute now, and Itachi could rest assured that his little blond wasn't injured.

Then again, this still posed a problem. Not only would he have to be more careful when it came to hurting Sasuke, but he and Naruto seemed close. Itachi narrowed his eyes. _Really close. Dear little brother, what have you gotten yourself into?_

Itachi inhaled deeply, keeping the smoke trapped in his lungs for a few seconds before slowly breathing out. He didn't really know what to do right now. And the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto was worrying.

And it wasn't fair.

Why should _Sasuke_ get what Itachi had claimed years ago? The elder Uchiha had been fighting tooth and nail for Naruto, and he hadn't won yet, so why did his younger brother manage to get close to Naruto when Itachi never had? Itachi glared down at his younger brother as he was pulled out of the burning house, his mask wrenched off his face as he coughed violently while being led away. Naruto followed seconds later, looking none the worse for wear.

"Good." Itachi mused aloud before bringing the cigarette back to his lips.

He wouldn't let Sasuke have him. Not after everything he'd been through to get Naruto. Of course, it had started out as just a job. He'd needed Naruto in order to test the reaction and spreading of fires in small spaces. (2) After Arashi had continued to decline his request, Itachi had lost his patience and decided to test how good Arashi Uzumaki _really_ was as a firefighter. He'd been surprised that the old man had managed to get Naruto out of the house, and, to be honest, a little annoyed at having not been able to kill the whole family.

But, time had passed and Itachi had ignored the blond child. That was, until he'd seen Naruto's picture in the newspaper, announcing his graduation from the fire academy. He'd never really been one for romantic interests, but he recognized beauty when he saw it. And he'd decided then and there that he was happy Naruto hadn't died that night.

He'd tried to convince himself he wanted Naruto only so he could torture him and make his deceased father roll in his grave at the things he was doing to his son, but deep down, he knew why he _really_ wanted Naruto Uzumaki. The man was gorgeous, and if he couldn't have him, then he would just _take _him.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke sat in silence as they drove home. They'd taken Naruto's car to work, because Sasuke hadn't wanted to bring his motorcycle. Now, the blond was driving them both back to his place so Sasuke could get his motorcycle and go home. 

They'd just returned from the hospital, both suffering from minor burns on their hands and faces, but nothing extreme. They were fine, really. Kiba had suffered a concussion, though no one would've been able to tell with how he'd been acting after having gotten up from being blasted across the lot. His head had been stitched up and he'd been kept at the hospital for a few hours for surveillance.

Kakashi had gotten a piece of Engine Seven lodged in his side, as well as a few scrapes on his face. He hadn't regained consciousness yet, but the doctors said he should be fine.

Everyone else had suffered minor scratches and a few bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. The most serious case was Hayate—but he wasn't at the hospital.

Sasuke winced as he imagined Kakashi's reaction to that. First Zabuza, now Hayate? Their men were dropping like flies, and it was all Itachi's fault! Sasuke hated him, he _hated_ him!

"We almost died today." Naruto whispered, breaking the silence in the car. Sasuke turned to look at him, noting the blond was clenching the wheel much tighter than was necessary.

"Yeah." he whispered back.

"I've never—come so close before." Naruto continued. "I mean, even that one time where I jumped in to save you wasn't as close as this. At least I made it out of the house that time, but this..." he trailed off, not sure what to say. "I was scared."

"I was, too." Sasuke admitted. "But I'm glad I was with you."

"Yeah." Naruto whispered.

They continued in silence until they reached Naruto's house. The blond parked the car and climbed out, Sasuke following suit. They headed for the front door and Naruto let them both in. As Sasuke reached to open the hall closet for his helmet, Naruto grabbed his wrist. The Uchiha looked at him, but Naruto was avoiding his gaze.

"Would it be too much to ask for you to stay again?" he asked in a small voice. "I-I don't want to be alone right now."

Sasuke smiled slightly. "Okay."

"Thanks."

Naruto released his wrist and led the way to the kitchen. Sasuke followed him, curious as to what exactly Naruto was going to do. "Are you hungry?"

Naruto turned to him. "Why, are you?" The raven shrugged and Naruto forced a smirk. "Oh, you're so hungry. I'll make something. What do you want?"

"Whatever, I don't care." Sasuke sat down at the kitchen table, Naruto walking to his cupboard and opening it.

"I know it's morning, but we've been up all night, so it kinda feels like nighttime, you know? I don't feel like breakfasty stuff. Ramen okay with you?"

"Yeah, sure." Sasuke shrugged, not particularly caring.

"What kind do you want, I have—"

"Miso." Sasuke replied before thinking about it. Naruto paused and slowly turned to Sasuke.

"What?"

"I asked for miso."

The blond's eyes narrowed as he stalked across the kitchen, slamming his hands down on the table right in front of Sasuke and glaring into his eyes. The raven was utterly confused at this reaction, wondering what it was he'd said.

"How did you know I like miso ramen, Mr. Uchiha?"

Sasuke paled as he realized his mistake. _Uh oh,_ he thought, panicked. _I think he's just realized I was the one who bought him all that food. _

"It was you, wasn't it?" Naruto grit his teeth. "You bought me all that food! And—oh my God!" Naruto reeled backwards. "I can't believe I never noticed when I went to your house! You're fucking _rich_! You not only bought me this food, you're the one who redid my house!"

Sasuke got to his feet slowly, holding his hands out in front of him. "Naruto, calm down. Really, it's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?.!" Naruto exploded. "Sasuke, you spent _money_ on _me_! Why?.!"

"I spend money on everyone!" Sasuke insisted. "I bought Kiba a new table, and he beat me over the head for it! I bought Kakashi his car, and Iruka a new set of golf clubs. Izumo and Kotetsu have a hot tub, Genma and Raidou have an indoor pool and sauna—I do this kind of stuff! Not often, but I do!"

"Why?.!" Naruto demanded.

"I'm not using my money, so why keep it?" Sasuke insisted. "You needed new locks, you needed new carpets, and you needed _food_! Dammit, why can't people _help_ you?.!"

Naruto snapped his mouth shut at that and scowled. "I've been helped my whole life. When I grew up, I decided I didn't _want_ to be helped anymore."

"Asking for help doesn't make you weak, if that's what you're thinking." Sasuke admitted to Naruto. "I used to think that, too, but Kakashi kind of beat it into my head that it wasn't the case. It's the strong who know when they can't handle something on their own."

"Why do you want to help me?" Naruto whispered, turning back to the cupboard.

"Because you helped me." Sasuke shrugged. "What's wrong with helping someone out?"

"I guess." Naruto replied as he pulled out two miso ramen cups.

Satisfied that his life wasn't in danger, Sasuke took his seat again and waited for Naruto to finish with their ramen. It was placed in front of him a few minutes later, the top covered so the noodles could soften.

"I'm sorry about Hayate." Naruto said in a low voice.

"Me, too." Sasuke replied as he stared down at his ramen cup.

"Things seem to be going wrong since I got here."

"They were like this before." Sasuke reassured him. He didn't want the blond to feel guilty. "Zabuza and Hayate weren't the first to die because of Itachi. Dosu was the last one I can remember before Zabuza."

"Were you close?" Sasuke looked up at Naruto and smiled slightly.

"Are you kidding? I've never been close to anyone. Well, not until I got harassed by you." he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"The way _I_ remember it, _you're_ the one who started it." Naruto insisted with a smirk. "I was just defending myself from your evil ways."

"Oh, really?" Sasuke smirked back.

The two of them chuckled slightly before they fell silent once again, the brief moment of laughter gone. Naruto was biting on his lower lip as he stared down at his ramen cup, his eyebrows furrowed. He was still trying to decide what he'd been thinking about in the car. He'd started the conversation, but never actually finished it. He hadn't known how.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?" the raven inquired.

Naruto bit his lip again before leaning across the table. He took a shuddery breath as he caressed the side of Sasuke's face, the raven staring at him wide-eyed. The blond didn't care, so he took another deep breath, his face inches away from Sasuke's. He could feel the other's hot breath on his face with each exhale. Slowly, Naruto leaned forward more and brushed his lips against Sasuke's.

The reaction was instantaneous. Sasuke's hand reached up to bury itself into Naruto's hair, bringing the other man closer when he went to pull away. He kissed Naruto back forcefully, his tongue darting out to lick at the seem of the other man's lips. Naruto hesitated only a second before opening his mouth, Sasuke's tongue darting in immediately.

The blond firefighter groaned and almost lost his balance, as he was supporting himself entirely with his hands on the table. He shifted to get more comfortable, but this only caused Sasuke to pull away.

"Wha—?" Naruto didn't get to finish as Sasuke was suddenly on his feet, wrenching Naruto out of his chair. He pushed Naruto back against the counter roughly and meshed his lips against Naruto's again, leaving no room for the blond to protest. Not that he wanted to.

The kiss was even more heated than the one Sasuke had dreamed about, and the one he'd shared with Naruto while the other had been drunk. The blond seemed almost—desperate. Or was that him? Maybe it was both of them, he couldn't tell. Both were fighting for dominance, but Sasuke wouldn't relinquish it. Teeth clacked together and Sasuke's lip even began to bleed when Naruto bit down on it too hard, but neither cared. The blood just made the kiss taste even better.

Sasuke's hands left Naruto's hair, grabbing the hem of his black shirt and wrenching it off of him. They pulled apart briefly so the material could be pulled off, before Naruto dived back in and clamped his mouth hard on Sasuke's neck. The raven let out a hiss, but then groaned.

Naruto wasn't as nice as Sasuke, so when he wanted to remove the raven's own black shirt, he fumbled around behind himself for his scissors, cutting the shirt in half while still sucking and biting on Sasuke's neck.

"Bastard." the raven panted. "I needed that."

Naruto just grunted as Sasuke's shirt fell to the floor. He let the scissors drop back on the counter just as Sasuke grabbed the back of his head and wrenched it away from his neck, smashing their mouths together again. Naruto reached down to undo Sasuke's belt, but the raven grabbed his hands and pinned them down on the counter on either side of him. He pulled away from Naruto, breathing hard.

"You first."

"If you say so." Naruto smirked.

Sasuke made quick work of his belt, throwing it across the room somewhere. He was about to undo Naruto's pants when the blond stopped him.

"Wait." Sasuke looked up into hazy cerulean eyes. "Not here." he panted.

"Bed." Sasuke agreed.

The two of them began to kiss again as they stumbled for the kitchen door, intent on getting up the stairs and into the blond's bedroom.

Neither paid any attention to the two cups of miso ramen sitting on the table, doomed to go cold and be thrown away the next time anyone entered the kitchen.

* * *

Genma leaned back in the large, comfy chair in the main room of the firehouse, a toothpick between his lips. He let out a long, deep sigh as he got more comfortable in the chair, dozing off slightly since he still had so much time before the shift change. 

He was jolted out of his peaceful, relaxed state when the door to the main room slammed open. Kiba walked in with Akamaru, a bandage still wrapped around his head. Genma cracked open one eye to regard him.

"You look stupid."

"Shut up." Kiba grumbled, one hand touching the bandage on his head.

He knew Genma was just trying to lighten the mood. After all, it had only been yesterday night that Hayate had died and everyone had been injured. Kakashi was still in the hospital, and Raidou would be acting-Captain until he returned. It would be weird, but there was nothing anyone could do.

"Raidou here?" Kiba asked as he grabbed himself a cup of coffee. Genma didn't stop him. Kiba deserved a cup of coffee right now.

"He's in the shower."

"Oh." Kiba took a sip of his coffee. "Anyone else here?"

"Not yet." Genma rested both hands behind his head as he closed his eyes, still chewing on the toothpick. "Where's Sasuke?"

"I don't know. I went to his place and he wasn't there. Probably with Naruto or something."

"Yeah, he seems to have taken a liking to our favourite little blond." Genma pouted. "I hope he doesn't screw him. I want to be the first."

"Yeah, right." Kiba rolled his eyes as he plopped down on the couch.

"You sure it's okay for you to be back at work?" Genma asked, concerned. "Don't you still have a concussion?"

"I talked to Tsunade." Kiba took another sip of his drink as he pet Akamaru's head, the dog having come up beside the couch. "She told me to switch with Gaara until I got better. I'll be the driver, and he'll take over the RIT position for me."

"Yeah, I hear we're getting a temporary firefighter from Nineteen, because we've lost two of ours and one medic."

"Yeah." Kiba scratched the back of his head. "Any news on how long Kakashi will be out?"

"Not a clue." Genma replied.

The two of them sat in silence once more, neither having anything more to say.

"Stop it!" Both of them turned their heads in the direction of the Rig Bay door. "Not here, dammit!"

"You're such a loser."

"Shut up, bastard."

"Looks like things are back to normal." Genma commented as he closed his eyes again, Naruto and Sasuke entering the main room.

"You're such a bastard." Naruto snapped. "I'm going to shower."

"Fine." Sasuke grinned as the blond stalked off.

Sasuke walked towards the couch and sat down beside Kiba, still grinning. The brunette stared at him, a little uncomfortable, while Genma just ignored him, since he was half-asleep.

"What are you grinning about?" Kiba demanded. "Get laid or something?"

"Actually—I did." Sasuke's grin widened and Kiba's eyes almost fell out of his head. Genma sat up so fast he fell clear out of his chair. "Four times, actually."

"No way!" Genma shouted, still on the floor. "You _fucked_ him?.!"

"I prefer to call it having sex, but yes, I did." Sasuke grinned.

"Are you dating?" Kiba inquired.

"What do you think?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. Genma jerked away and Kiba propelled himself off the couch. "What?"

"You-you-you..." Kiba couldn't finish, his hand shaking as he pointed at Sasuke.

"You _rolled your eyes_!" Genma hollered for him. "Oh my _God_, what is he _doing_ to you?.!"

"Sasuke!" They all turned to the bunk-room door as Raidou emerged, towelling his hair dry. "Naruto says he needs your help with something."

"Really?" Sasuke smirked as he stood, turning to Kiba and Genma. "If you'll excuse me, I have something to take care of." He cracked his knuckles as he headed for the bunk-room. "Make sure no one comes in."

Raidou gave Sasuke a confused look as he closed the door before turning to Genma and Kiba. Both were staring at the bunk-room wide-eyed. Raidou shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh, did I miss something?"

* * *

(1) The place where the firefighters sit. 

(2) I know I made Itachi sixteen while Naruto and Sasuke were six, but I needed an older Itachi, so just bear with me, here.


	14. Golden Angel

**A/N: Wow! I thought I posted this last night, only to open my FF account today and find out, uh... I'd forgotten. :sweatdrop: Sorry. Here it is :P**

**Disclaimer: They're mine, K. Masashi just doesn't know it, yet. Muahahahahahaha.**

* * *

Sasuke walked slowly up behind Naruto, the blond standing under the shower spray with both hands resting on the wall in front of him. Sasuke's eyes roved over the tanned, soaking wet body, watching as water droplets rolled off the other man's skin. It was a sight to be appreciated. Naruto was like a Greek God, what with his hair and eyes, as well as his build and tanned skin. 

The raven walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around the blond's waist. Naruto tensed slightly beneath his touch, and Sasuke frowned.

"What's wrong?" the Uchiha asked, concerned.

"What are we?" Naruto whispered. "I mean—are you just..." he trailed off, watching the water flow past his feet and down the drain. "What are we?" he whispered again.

"I was under the impression we were dating." Sasuke said with a frown.

"Are we?" Naruto whispered again, his eyes still on the water at his feet. "You're not just using me for sex, like everyone else?"

Sasuke had to admit, hearing that really hurt. Had it been anyone else, he would've gotten angry and just forgotten about it, but Naruto—he was different. Sasuke didn't _want_ to forget about him, and having all these feelings waging a war inside his head was starting to annoy him. He didn't understand what he felt for Naruto because he'd never _felt_ like this before. It sounded stupid and cliche in his head, but it was true. All his other experiences had been one-night stands, but Naruto wasn't like that.

So, sighing, Sasuke tightened his hold on Naruto's waist, resting his chin on the blond's shoulder. "Naruto, I never realized how paranoid you really were until now. If you want, our relationship can be devoid of sex until you're sure I'm not using you." Sasuke's anatomy screamed in protest. He ignored it. "How does that sound?"

"Are you serious?" Naruto asked, stunned, as he turned to look at Sasuke over his shoulder. The raven nodded.

"If it'll make you feel better, then yes. I don't want you just for the sex—although you're really good in the sack." He gave Naruto a smirk, causing the blond to blush cutely and look away.

"Okay."

"Okay what?" Sasuke asked.

"Okay, I believe you." He let his hands fall from the wall and leaned back against Sasuke with a sigh. "So, we're dating?"

"If you want to be." Sasuke smiled.

"Yeah." Naruto grinned before looking over his shoulder again. "You're not half bad in the sack, yourself."

"Excuse me?" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "I am perfection. Nobody is better than me when it comes to sex."

"I beg to differ." Naruto barked out a laugh.

"Shall we have Genma rate it?" Sasuke asked with a smirk. Naruto's grin faded and he paled. Seconds later, the door slammed open.

"What? Me? Rate?.! What?.!"

"Go away, Genma!" Sasuke hollered angrily, the other man jumping with fright before slamming back out of the bathroom. "That guy has radar."

"That, or he's Superman." Naruto grinned. "Super-hearing, you know?"

"Yeah, I got the reference." Sasuke smirked as he nuzzled into the back of Naruto's neck, one of his hands travelling down from Naruto's waist to a place considerably lower.

The blond let out a squeak as soon as he felt Sasuke's hand wrap around him, and he blushed again. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"You're hard." Sasuke smirked. "I just thought I'd be a nice boyfriend."

"B-bastard! Not here! They'll fucking hear!"

"So?" Sasuke smirked.

They both jumped, startled, as there was a loud bang on the bathroom door.

"Guys, shift-change in five minutes, and the temporary firefighter from Nineteen should be here soon." Raidou called through the door. "Please don't do anything dirty. Genma alone will probably scare him off."

"Hey!"

"Shut up, Genma."

Naruto looked over his shoulder at Sasuke, panting slightly. "Cold shower. I need a cold shower."

"What you _need_, is to stop worrying." Sasuke insisted. "Relax. Even if they hear, almost everyone is gay. Nobody will care."

* * *

"Oh my _God_!" Kiba covered his ears. "Have they _no_ dignity?.!" 

Nobody said anything, not that Kiba was surprised. After all, everyone currently in the room was gay—except for Gaara. Kiba was confused as to why he wasn't reacting weirdly until he noticed the paper towel stuck in the other firefighter's ears. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who didn't want to listen to Sasuke jack Naruto off.

The door to the Rig Bay suddenly opened, but since everyone was already there, and the other shift wasn't due back for another five minutes, they could only assume it was the temporary replacement.

A black-haired man with a goatee walked in, surveying the area and nodding to all the firefighters in the room. He opened his mouth to speak when Naruto let out another cry of pleasure, Sasuke's name jumbled up somewhere in between. The man froze.

Genma, himself, vaulted over the couch and bolted for the bunk-room door, pressing his ear against it. "I hear flesh on flesh! I think they're having sex! Can I watch, Raidou? _Please_?.!" he begged his lover.

"No." Raidou snapped before turning to the new man who'd walked in. "Sorry, he's a little crazy. And sorry about the—" Raidou coughed. "Yeah, I've asked them to hurry it up."

"N-not a problem." The new firefighter laughed nervously.

Kiba just grinned at his nervousness, wondering how he was going to react when he saw it was two _guys_ exiting the bathroom. Gaara still seemed somewhat oblivious to the new arrival, his back being to the door and the makeshift earplugs still in his ears.

"You must be the temp from Nineteen." Kotetsu said from the kitchen, nursing his third cup of coffee.

"Actually, I'm from Station Three." The man informed. "Nineteen couldn't spare anyone, so they called the other stations. How long am I going to be here, do you think?"

"Could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months." Raidou said with a shrug. "Our Captain was injured pretty badly."

"Right. You're acting-Captain, right?"

"Yes. Raidou Namiashi." He held his hand out. "And you are?"

"Oh, right." He chuckled. "Tenzou. Tenzou Yamato." (1)

"Tenzou?" Kiba asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Sounds like 'Tensor' or something." Genma grinned from the bunk-room door. "What's your last name, again?"

"Uh, Yamato." The man cocked an eyebrow.

"All right!" Genma jumped to his feet, both fists raised in the air. "You're Yo motto from now on."

"It's-it's Yamato. Ya. Ma. To." Yamato enunciated.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, tomato." Genma waved his hand at him. Kotetsu snorted into his coffee.

The door to the bunk-room suddenly opened, Genma shrieking as he jerked away from it. Sasuke glared at him, in the middle of tucking in his shirt. Genma just laughed before skipping across the room. Yamato stared at him, a little concerned for his sanity.

"What's going on?" Naruto appeared behind Sasuke, his eyes brightening as he saw Yamato. "Hey, temp guy."

Yamato sputtered as he pointed at them. "It was the two of _you_ in there?.!"

"Thank you!" Kiba exclaimed. "I'm not the only one who overreacts!"

Yamato gave him a weird look and Raidou just groaned. "Look, can we please just all calm down so we're ready to go when the next shift comes?"

* * *

Sasuke barely had the door open before he stumbled inside with Naruto, the two attached at the lips as if with SuperGlue. Whenever they weren't on a call, they were making out, or going much, much further than that in the bunk-room. Genma had pouted and asked why Raidou wasn't like that, for which he received a sharp blow to the head by the acting-Captain. 

But as much fun as it was, the two had agreed that once their shift was over and they were back at Sasuke's place—the raven had insisted—they should stop with the making out and talk a bit. They knew a fair bit about one another, but there were still some gaps they needed filled in. Naruto, for one, wanted to know about Sasuke's brother. He knew it was a delicate topic, but if he was going to be dating him, he needed to know what kind of danger he was in.

So, deciding it was time to call it quits for now, Naruto pulled away from Sasuke, the other whimpering. Naruto pushed against his chest slightly.

"You said we'd talk, so we have to talk." He pushed past the other man, headed for the kitchen—or, where he _assumed_ the kitchen was, since this house was different than the one he'd entered a few days before. _How many houses does he **have**?_ Naruto wondered idly.

Naruto was thankful he'd headed in the right direction, sitting down at the kitchen table and waiting patiently for Sasuke to join him. The Uchiha entered the kitchen with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head so that his hair stuck out even more than usual. Naruto just stared at him, so with another sigh, the raven walked around the table and sat opposite his new blond lover.

"All right." Sasuke sighed. "You wanted to talk. So let's talk."

"Okay." Naruto nodded. "Okay. Don't make it sound like it was all my idea; you wanted to talk, too."

"Well, yeah, but—" Sasuke cut himself off. If he said anything about sex, Naruto would get all paranoid again. The raven sighed. The blond was almost like a girl, sometimes. "All right. So, first off, tell me about your nightmares. I've been wanting to know about them for a while." Sasuke admitted.

Naruto shifted uneasily in his chair, clearing his throat. "Well, basically, they're memories." Naruto rubbed the inside of his wrist self-consciously. "Um, I always remember this one guy who was about sixteen who used to come around my house all the time. He-he wanted me, but—I'm not sure why." Naruto clenched his jaw at his next words. "And he's the one who killed my parents."

Sasuke winced at Naruto's words, knowing the kind of anger and hate that manifested because of something like that. After all, Itachi had killed his parents. Naruto's parents had also been killed, although who by, Sasuke didn't know. Naruto didn't, either, if his lack of saying so was any indication.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke whispered.

"Kiba told me something similar happened to you." The raven clenched his jaw at those words. _Damn Kiba, never minding his own fucking business,_ he thought, annoyed.

"Yeah." He clenched his fists. "My parents were killed, too."

"How?" Naruto asked in a small, kind voice. Sasuke clenched his fists harder.

"My brother killed them. He burned down the house, with them inside."

"Why?"

"Cause he went crazy, that's why!" Sasuke hollered. He then cursed inwardly at the stunned look on Naruto's face. "I'm sorry." he bit out. "Talking about my brother makes me a little—violent."

"Well, he _is_ trying to kill you." Naruto offered with a small smile.

"Yeah." Sasuke ran his hand through his hair.

The two sat in silence once more, neither sure what to say. After a few minutes, Naruto asked another question, and the two of them continued to talk for another two hours.

* * *

Kiba grumbled under his breath as he stalked into Station Seven, practically kicking the door off its hinges with the force of his entry. Genma, who'd been snoozing on the couch, jumped a mile high before falling off, turning to the irate dog-lover. 

"Jesus, Wolfgang, what's got your panties in a knot? Girlfriend's dick bigger than yours?" Genma paused in his action of standing as he thought about it, suddenly finding Hinata incredibly appealing.

"Don't even think about it, Shiranui." Kiba growled, able to determine the other man's thoughts based on the expression on his face.

"Hey, Kiba." Kotetsu came out of the bunk-room. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Hence the reason for my annoyance and anger." Kiba grumbled. "The bastard never told me to stop coming to pick him up, so every day, I drive to all four of his houses to find him, only to find out he's getting a ride from Naruto."

"Four?" Kotetsu asked with a frown. "Didn't that one get blown up by Itachi?"

"Bought a new one." Kiba grunted.

"Oh." Kotetsu walked towards the couch, sitting down in a spot vacated by Genma when he jerked off the couch.

"The new guy here, yet?" Kiba inquired as he nodded to Izumo, who'd just exited the bunk room, straightening his shirt. Kiba could only guess what they'd been doing in there, and they were lucky Genma hadn't caught on.

"Nope. Probably won't show up until the shift-change. Sasuke and Naruto scared him yesterday." Genma smirked.

"Dude, you're the one who tried to rape him in the shower." Kotetsu reminded as he motioned the corner of his mouth in Izumo's direction. The other man hastily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Raidou in the office?" Kiba let out a shout and spun around as Gaara spoke.

"Stop _sneaking up on me_!" the brunette shouted. "Jesus!"

"Yeah, he is." Izumo offered, all of them ignoring Kiba.

The redhead pushed past the angry dog-lover, headed for Kakashi's office, which was currently occupied by Raidou. Kiba himself just grumbled, annoyed, as he went to grab a cup of coffee. Kakashi wasn't around to tell him not to.

The brunette poured himself a cup, wincing as he realized it was the bottom of the pot, and therefore, would be the most bitter. But whatever. Coffee was coffee. The brunette put the empty pot back in the machine and brought the coffee to his lips. He took a large sip before spitting it back out, half of it threatening to go down his throat until he hacked it back up.

Genma, Kotetsu and Izumo howled with laughter, all of them high-fiving as they stared at the stunned Kiba.

"What the fuck?.!" he hollered angrily, throwing the coffee down the drain and filling his cup with water after rinsing it, downing the whole thing in one go. "What did you do?.!"

"We gave it a little extra flavour." Genma laughed, slapping his knee.

"Yeah," Kotetsu gasped, trying to catch his breath again, "we knew you were gonna finish that, so we decided to experiment."

"What the hell did you put in it?.!" Kiba demanded, his mouth on fire.

"Um, hot sauce, pepper, Xytol—" Izumo began, Genma interrupting him.

"Stuff used to chemically neuter dogs."

"I'm allergic to that stuff!" Kiba hollered at Genma.

"You are?" Kotetsu asked, utterly confused.

"No, I've just always wanted to say that." The brunette sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he dropped his cup into the sink. All three firefighters stared at him, confused.

"Does this—happen often?" Kotetsu inquired.

"What?"

"Being told you've just taken stuff that chemically neuters dogs."

"No."

There was a long pause.

"You're weird!" Genma hollered, pointing one finger at Kiba.

"I don't need this coming from _you_, you freaking _psycho_!" Kiba hollered back.

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_!" All of them turned to the door, Naruto walking in with a cocked eyebrow. "What the hell is going on?"

"_He_ called _me_ weird!" Kiba exclaimed, jabbing his finger in Genma's direction.

"Genma, you have no right to say that." Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes.

"Thank you!"

"Kiba is _clearly_ insane. Weird just insults all the weird people out there."

Kiba sputtered. "Sasuke!"

* * *

"Slow day." Naruto sighed, leaning his head back. "Why is it such a slow day?" 

"People aren't setting fires?" Kiba offered.

"Don't jinx us, you two." Raidou muttered from the table, a spoon in his mouth, but both hands holding a newspaper. "We've had enough action over the last couple of days."

The firefighters sighed as they all lounged about in the firehouse. Yamato and Kiba had started playing hangman in the corner, Raidou was reading the paper, and everyone else was watching television. So far, during their three hours working, they'd only gotten one call. Either everyone had given up on fire for the day, or God had decided to cut them a break.

Sasuke, though, was bored. When he wasn't fighting fires, he was eating, screwing Naruto, sleeping, screwing Naruto, showering, and—oh yeah, screwing Naruto. Watching television wasn't his thing, and that was why he'd spent the last five minutes trying to catch Naruto's attention without anyone else noticing.

The blond finally looked in his direction after what felt like forever and Sasuke motioned the bunk-room with a jerk of his head before wiggling his eyebrows. Naruto stared at him, and then frowned, not understanding. Sasuke motioned the room with his head again and wiggled his hips slightly in his seat. Naruto shook his head, still confused. He didn't get what the raven was asking him.

With a sigh, Sasuke stood up and walked casually towards Naruto, plopping down on the armrest of his chair and leaning close to him. "Wanna go in the bunk-room for a while?"

"And do what?" Naruto whispered.

"What do you think?" Sasuke lowered his voice more, not wanting anyone around them to hear. "You know, do a little dance, make a little love."

Naruto stared. "You wanna sing?"

Sasuke almost slapped his forehead. _He's cute. Dumb as nails, but cute._ "No!"

"I was kidding." Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm not a _complete_ idiot."

"Could've fooled me." Sasuke smirked.

"What are you two whispering about?" Genma appeared right in between the two of them.

"Gyah!" Naruto and Sasuke both jerked away from the perverted firefighter, both effectively falling off the chair to land on their asses.

"You guys were talking about having sex, weren't you?" Genma bent down beside Naruto, poking his cheek a few times. "Weren't you?"

"Radar!" Naruto hollered, pulling himself away from Genma. "You have fucking _radar_!"

"Well, _duh_!" Genma rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't be much of a pervert if I _didn't _have radar, now would I?"

"Can I shoot him?.!" Naruto asked Raidou, motioning Genma. "Please! _Please_!"

"Hello my trusty firefighters!"

"I take it back, can I shoot _him_?.!" Naruto motioned the Rig Bay door.

"Please do." Raidou said as he put the newspaper down with a sigh. "How many times are we going to have to tell him he _can't_ be here?"

Gai suddenly barged into the main room, his arms full of fruits and nutrition bars. "Hello! How are you all?.! Are you enjoying the vigour and energy that comes with being youthful?.! Are you taking care of yourselves, you fighters of fire and savers of life?.!" He walked around the room, thrusting nutrition bars and fruits at the firefighters. Yamato almost jumped out of his skin when an apple fell onto his lap, followed by a nutrition bar and a hearty pat on his back that almost sent him flying out of his chair.

"And where is Kakashi, the greatest of all firefighters?.!"

"He's in the hospital." Raidou said before covering his ears.

"What?.!" Gai exploded. "How could such an amazing, talented man, who is also my most esteemed rival, be in the hospital?.! Has he given up on youth?.! Is he no longer full of energy?.! Has he lost his ability to love?.!"

"No." Raidou sighed. "We call it being injured on the job."

"I must rectify this!" Gai hollered, throwing his fist in the air. "What hospital? I must visit him and bring him youthful energy and love!" He clasped his hands together as tears streamed down his face. "Do not worry, Kakashi. I am coming for you!"

"He's at the general. Third floor." Raidou offered.

Gai was gone a second later, and all of them sighed, relieved. Then, Naruto frowned, turning to look at Raidou, confused.

"Hey, you told him the truth."

"Of _course_ I did." The scarred firefighter rolled his eyes. "If I had lied, he'd be back here bothering _us_, wouldn't he? If he finds Kakashi, he'll just stay there and pester _him_."

Naruto stared at him. "Kakashi's going to kill you when he gets back."

"And I will deserve it." Raidou grinned. "But for now, I will relish the silence."

"And I'm gonna get laid." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm, yanking him towards the bunk-room.

"Wha—Sasuke! What about Genma?.!" Naruto demanded as he was pulled into the room.

"What?.! You mean I can join?.!" Genma ran to the door and tried to open it, only to find it locked. "Sasuke, please! I'll be gentle!" He scratched at the door. "Sasuke? Death? Please?" He scratched some more. "Meow?" (2)

* * *

Itachi entered his large loft, switching on the light in the entrance as he threw his keys onto the glass table beside the door, closing it behind himself. He took off his black coat as he walked towards the living room, putting it across the back of a chair as he passed the dining room. 

Under the alias of Kazuo Mitamuchi, Itachi had been able to live quite easily, and peacefully, right under the police's nose. And to make things even funnier, he lived only two blocks away from one of his brother's houses. He lived quite far from Naruto's, since he was in a residential area and Itachi himself was in an industrial area, but it wasn't a problem going to see him.

Itachi walked into his living room and sank into his couch, pulling out his pack of cigarettes as he placed his booted feet up on the coffee table. He grabbed a cigarette and put it between his lips, lighting it a second later and inhaling the heavenly death. He held it in his lungs for thirty seconds before finally exhaling through his nose, the smoke stinging slightly as it came out of his nostrils.

He took a few more drags of his cigarette, flicking the ashes onto the carpeted floor without caring. A cleaning lady came in every day, so he could be as messy as he wanted. What was the point of having her if he kept the place absolutely spotless?

Itachi's thoughts drifted back to his gorgeous blond as he inhaled on his cigarette again, thinking about Naruto's transfer. He'd never followed Naruto at the station when he worked for Station Twelve because it was impossible for him, as a civilian, to follow a fire-truck. Since he didn't know where the fires would happen unless he set them, it wasn't like he could just sit back and wait for him to appear. That was why he went to WalMart. He had a source who worked there, and he gave Itachi the blond's schedule for every week, even going so far as calling him if he suddenly changed a shift.

Itachi hadn't known of Naruto's transfer due to the fact that he hadn't stuck around for any of his fires for Station Seven for a long time. The previous fire had been the first one in a long time he'd stayed to witness, and he'd almost been tempted to stop the bomb he'd put under Engine Seven so that Naruto wouldn't get hurt. But, he hadn't, because he knew Naruto had Lady Luck on his side. He always seemed to be able to get himself out of anything and everything. It was—strange.

_He won't get away from me, _Itachi thought with a smirk as he stood to get himself a glass of wine, the cigarette still dangling between his lips. _Even if he's with Sasuke, I'll just take him. I always get what I want so this won't be any different._

The elder Uchiha smirked as he formulated his next arson, opening a bottle of red wine and pouring himself a glass. _How many more people can I kill from Station Seven? _he wondered, an evil smirk marring his otherwise handsome features. _How many more people until I'm finally rid of **you**, little brother? Until I finally have my golden angel all to myself? _

* * *

(1) SPOILER FOR THE MANGA: Since we don't know Yamato's real name, as Tsunade just calls him this, and Kakashi calls him Tenzou later on, I decided to mix the two together, hence, Tenzou Yamato. Just thought I'd clear it up. 

(2) Yes, people do this. :cough FUZZY-HIME cough: lol


	15. Stalker

**A/N: Okay, is it just me, or does the "ruler" option no longer work? Every time I try it, it just says there's an error on the page, and I'm all "SCREW YOU, THERE IS NOT ERROR!" So... yeah... :cough: I used dashes for scene change/time skips... you know, the replacement for the ruler option... **

**Also, this chapter is dedicated to Gacktsgal... cause she kept me sane through my writer's block... Although I don't think she's even aware of it... And has agreed to join forces in the capture of Gackt... Oh, he shall be ours! WE WILL MAKE HIM OURS! MUAHAHAHHAHAHA!**

**Disclaimer: Kiba tried to run away with Itachi, figuring that K. Masashi would be too scared to follow because, hey, it's Itachi... yeah, K. Masashi wasn't scared. So... they're in solitary confinement in his basement. :sweatdrop:**

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Sasuke's hand twitched in his sleep as he shifted, letting out a long breath. His peaceful slumber wasn't going to last as a shadowy figure appeared at his bedroom door, walking silently towards him. The other person seemed to float, and not a single sound could be heard as he moved towards the sleeping firefighter.

The figure bent down, inspecting Sasuke's calm—almost peaceful—face. Then, he stood and, in one fluid motion, straddled the other man and slammed his hand silently over Sasuke's mouth. He'd positioned himself so his knees pressed the other man's hands into his own sides, leaving him immobile.

The raven's eyes shot open and he immediately began to struggle, bucking to unseat the body sitting on him. His breathing came hard and fast as he stared up into the cold, emotionless eyes before him. _Jesus Christ, Itachi is in my room,_ he thought, panicked.

"Sh." Itachi smirked as he leaned down closer, whispering into Sasuke's ear. "We don't want to wake up the little blondie."

Sasuke's eyes darted to the side worriedly, locking on Naruto, who was still sleeping peacefully, undisturbed in the slightest by Itachi's presence. He let out a small growl and scowled in his sleep before rolling over and stilling again. Sasuke looked back at Itachi, narrowing his eyes threateningly. If Itachi did _anything_ to Naruto, he was going to beat the unholy shit out of him _before_ killing him. Even if he just _touched_ Naruto.

"What's with that look?" Itachi asked, a blank expression on his face. "Are you scared for your precious little toy?" Itachi reached out, as if to touch Naruto. Sasuke screamed against the hand, bucking again. The elder Uchiha turned back to him.

"You're very protective of him, aren't you?" Itachi's hand retreated and Sasuke sighed. "I don't want to kill him. I don't want to kill _anyone_ but _you_, little brother."

With that, Itachi reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a ball of cloth. He hurriedly replaced his hand with the ball of cloth, effectively gagging Sasuke so both of his hands were free. He then reached into his pocket again and extracted a small switchblade. Sasuke's eyes widened as the blade was clicked open, and he stared at it. He followed it down as Itachi released one of his arms and held it tightly with one hand, despite how hard Sasuke yanked on it.

"You're going to die, tonight, little brother." Itachi hissed. "And your little lover won't even know what happened until it's too late." The blade was dropped onto Sasuke's chest to free Itachi's other hand. He grabbed Sasuke's face with it, glaring hard. "You don't deserve him."

_Wha—?_ Sasuke was confused. Didn't deserve _who_?.!

Sasuke could do nothing but watch as Itachi brought the blade to his arm and began to slice up, along his vein. Sasuke screamed against the gag. He bucked, he shook the bed, he did _everything_ he could think of, but Naruto didn't wake up. Naruto didn't even shift. The blond was just going to lie there, sleeping, while Sasuke was murdered by his brother.

"Good bye, little brother." Itachi smirked as he twisted the blade viciously in Sasuke's arm.

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The raven let out a scream as he shot up in bed, sweat pouring off his body and his breathing coming in harsh pants as he looked around the dark room. _A dream. It was a dream._

"Sasuke?" The Uchiha screamed again and turned, punching the person who'd spoken square in the face.

Naruto went toppling backwards off the bed from the force of the blow, Sasuke scrambling off on his own side. His eyes were wide and panicked as he stared at the groaning blond lying on the floor across the bed.

As his pulse slowed and his breathing calmed, his mind finally registered the _blond_ hair. Tanned skin, muscled body—bright blue eyes. _Holy shit, Naruto._

"Oh my God!" Sasuke vaulted over the bed, landing unsteadily beside Naruto and bending down beside him as he held one hand against his left eye. "Oh, God! I'm so sorry! Shit, come on."

The raven hauled his boyfriend to his feet, helping to support the dizzy blond as he shook his head, his hand still pressed against his eye.

"You fucking _punched_ me, man." Naruto groaned as Sasuke manoeuvred them out of his room.

"I know. I know, I'm sorry." Sasuke insisted with a wince as he led them downstairs.

He sat Naruto down on one of the kitchen chairs before rushing to the fridge. He opened the freezer to pull out some ice, and paused. He'd always heard that steak helped, so he threw open his fridge and looked around for some. He found a little piece he'd been saving for later, but decided Naruto deserved it more than he did, right now. So, he pulled it out of the Ziploc bag and rushed back to Naruto's side.

"Here, move your hand." he instructed as he pushed the steak onto Naruto's eye, the other retreating his hand.

"Ow, shit." Naruto muttered as he held the steak in place, Sasuke letting it go.

He looked down at his sticky and slightly bloody hands, and winced, going to the sink to wash it off before closing the fridge and freezer. He then went back to Naruto's side, rubbing his back as the blond bowed his head, blood from the steak dripping onto his blue sweatpants.

"Shit, Uchiha. What was that?" Naruto whispered, Sasuke still rubbing his back.

"I had a nightmare, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I could figure that first part out for myself. Care to explain _why_ you punched me as soon as you woke up?"

Sasuke winced, but knew he had to tell him. He _had_ punched him, after all. "It was nothing. I just—my brother came and killed me. I guess, when I woke up, I was still a little freaked. You startled me." he whispered.

"Sorry."

"What are _you_ apologizing for?" Sasuke cuffed him lightly across the back of the head. "You were worried, and I, as you put it, 'fucking punched' you."

"Yeah, you did, didn't you?" Naruto turned and grinned at him, the steak still pressed against his eye. Sasuke smirked back.

"Here, let me see that." The raven reached for the steak again and pulled it off gently, looking at Naruto's closed left eye. He winced. "You're going to have a shiner."

"As long as I can open it, that's all I care about. I don't need a blind spot while we're inside a burning building." Naruto muttered as he put the steak back against his eye.

"I'll make is up to you." Sasuke whispered, feeling guilty.

"Damn straight!" Naruto exclaimed, a teasing note in his tone. He pulled the steak off his eye, holding it up. "You gonna eat this later?"

"No."

"Good." Naruto dropped it on the kitchen table, blood spattering slightly across the wooden surface. Sasuke was about to pick it back up, when Naruto was suddenly kissing him. His mind blanked. _Wait, wasn't he just mad at me?_

"What are you doing?" he asked the second Naruto pulled back for a breath.

"Getting you to pay me back." He smirked, snapping the strap of Sasuke's boxers. "Unless you've changed your mind."

Sasuke's response was pushing Naruto back against the table.

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"Hey Genma." Kiba called as he entered the firehouse.

"Sh! Sh! Sh!" Genma exclaimed from his position beside the bunk-room door, his ear pressed against it. Kiba cocked an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

"Tomato went to take a shower, and then Izumo and Kotetsu went in there without knowing. They're probably having sex or something."

"And you're not watching?.!" Kiba asked, horrified. He plastered himself against the opposite wall, looking around in horror. Genma cocked an eyebrow.

"What's up?"

"The world's gonna end!" Kiba hollered. "They're having _sex_ and you're out _here_! You're not watching, or begging to watch, or scratching and meowing at the door! Who are you?.! It's the shape-shifting aliens again, isn't it?.!"

"Sh!" Genma hissed. "Sex is entertaining, but I can watch that any time I want. Hearing the shriek of terror from our new temp when he walks out to find two men having sex—now _that_ is not a luxury I get every day. If I interrupt the sex, I interrupt the humour." Genma smirked.

Kiba was still wary, wanting to call the Men In Black or something. After all, how many times could _anyone_ say they'd seen _Genma_ pass up the opportunity to watch others have _sex_. It was just—too scary for words.

Genma suddenly gasped, making Kiba jump and brace himself for—something. "I think the shower just turned off! Tomato should be coming out any minute!"

The two waited, and a few seconds later, a strangled scream could be heard from the bunk-room. Genma fell over, absolutely hysterical. He clutched his stomach as he rolled on his back, kicking his feet around in the air.

"Oh my God! Priceless!" He continued to laugh as Kiba winced, feeling Yamato's pain. Heck, if that had been _him_—screw the screaming, he would've dropped dead.

Raidou opened the office door, pulling earplugs out of his ears. He'd put them there to block out the sound of Genma begging outside the locked door of the office. The perverted firefighter wanted to screw on Kakashi's desk. Raidou, himself, had a strong survival instinct. Doing that would jeopardize said survival.

"What's going on?"

"Tomato walked in on Izumo and Kotetsu." Genma gasped between giggles. "Oh, the pain! The pain!" He continued to laugh, obviously talking about the pain in his stomach from laughing so hard.

"Every time we walk in here, there's a circus going on." All three of them turned to the voice who'd spoken. Raidou's jaw dropped and Genma stopped laughing immediately.

"Naruto, what happened to you?" Kiba asked worriedly, noting the angry bruise around the blond's left eye.

"Oh, this?" Naruto laughed as he motioned it. "Nothing, nothing. Sasuke just had a nightmare and took it a little too far."

"Oh, domestic abuse?" Genma asked, now on his feet. He ran to Naruto's side, putting his arm around the blond and grinning at him. "You know, Naruto, you can always come live with me."

Sasuke appeared behind the pair, having parked the car, and hit Genma across the back of the head angrily. "Don't even think about it, Shiranui."

The bunk-room door opened, Izumo and Kotetsu walking out with embarrassed looks on their faces. There was no sign of Yamato. Raidou cocked an eyebrow at them. Neither said a word, Izumo going to the table and picking up the newspaper there while Kotetsu rushed to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup.

Raidou, weary, went to the bunk-room and entered it to go find Yamato. God knew he'd need some sanity after walking in on that. Genma rushed across the room, bouncing into the bunk-room after Raidou. There was a small scuffle before Genma let out a yelp as was violently shoved out of the bunk-room before the door slammed in his face and locked.

"Raidou!" Genma banged on the door, an angry glint in his eye. "Raidou, I swear to God! You cheat on me with Tomato, I'll fuck you so hard you won't be able to sit for a month! Hey! Raidou!"

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Naruto grinned to himself as he leaned back against his cash at Wal-Mart, thinking about the fact that Sasuke was going to be there soon to go on his hour break with him. Sasuke was taking him out somewhere, and Naruto was really excited.

"Why do you look like you swallowed a bunch of stars?" Temari asked, appearing at his cash.

"Shouldn't you be in Electronics?" he teased. She just shrugged.

"They'll page me if they need me. The place is dead."

"True."

"So, spill. Why do you look so happy? Not that I object to you being happy, or anything." She smirked.

"Sasuke's taking me out for my lunch break." Naruto grinned. "I don't know where, but I'm really excited."

"He hasn't had any more episodes, has he?" she asked, motioning his still-healing bruise. Naruto reached up and gently ran his fingers over the bruise.

"No, he hasn't. And it's not like it's that big of a deal. I mean—we don't sleep at each other's house _all_ the time."

"But you might as well." Temari teased. Naruto's grin faded and he frowned as he looked at the floor. "What?" the girl asked, concerned.

"What if he wants me to move in with him?" he whispered. "I can't leave that house, Temari."

The blond girl winced before sighing, rubbing Naruto's arm. "If he really wants to live with you, I think he'll understand if you want him to move in with you. If he doesn't, well—he's not worth it."

"I guess." Naruto whispered.

"_Can I have an associate from Electronics page two-oh-eight. That's an associate from Electronics, two-oh-eight. Thank you."_

"Excuse me." Temari reached across Naruto, snatching his phone off the hook and dialling the number. "Electronics." she said into the phone. "Mm hm. I'll go check." She hung up. "Gotta go. Need to earn my paycheck."

"Yeah, right." Naruto smirked as she walked off, flipping him off over her shoulder. Naruto just laughed, shaking his head.

He waited for about two minutes before he got his next customer, his eyes narrowing at the person coming towards him. _Jesus Christ, how often do I have to **tell** this guy to **fuck off**?.!_ he thought angrily as his stalker placed his items on the conveyer belt. Naruto looked around, noting the only CSM was currently busy with an override at the service desk. He'd have to deal with him. Shit.

"Hello, Naruto." The tall man smirked. "Not calling a replacement today?"

Naruto just glared as he grabbed the man's first item and rang it through, dumping it in the closest bag. He continued to ring the items through when a hand suddenly reached across the conveyer and brushed his cheek. He jerked back, taking a step away from his cash.

"Don't touch me!" he snapped, anger in his tone but fear in his eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you." The man smirked, leaning forward on the conveyer. "I just wanted to know if your skin was as soft as it looked."

Naruto shot a glance at the CSM. She was still busy. _Shit, shit, shit, _he thought worriedly. _Just get it done._ Naruto's eyes shot towards the remaining items. _Just four items left. Just get it done, and he'll go. Get it done, close your cash, run to the service desk to the CSM. Get it done._

Naruto swallowed hard as he moved forward again and hurriedly rang the last four items through, jerking his head to the side as his stalker ran his fingers through his hair.

"Mm. Silky."

"Twenty dollars even." Naruto grit out, clenching his fists as he stared up into his stalker's face.

The man smirked as he pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, holding it out to Naruto. The blond took it, but before he could retreat his hand, the other man had grabbed his wrist, yanking him forward. Naruto followed through with the action, a gasp emitting from his mouth and his eyes widening as he found his face pressed against his stalker's cheek.

"You know, you're very cute when you're asleep, Naruto. I miss being able to watch you."

Naruto jerked away with a startled gasp, his hands shaking. The twenty was still clutched between his fingers. He dropped the money to the floor, grabbing the bags and putting them on the counter.

"Take them and go!" he all but hollered. "Get away from me!"

His stalker smirked as he took his bags, Naruto watching him the whole time as his breath quickened. Just as the man turned to leave, the CSM Naruto had been looking at appeared with a security guard. Naruto didn't know when she'd noticed his stalker in front of him, but he was thankful.

The security guard went to grab his stalker, but the man swung his bag, hitting him in the face before pushing the CSM aside and rushing out of the building, his bag having ripped and his items falling to the floor.

"Naruto!" The blond jumped and spun around to stare at Kankurou. "I got called by Rick to come to the front and help the security guard with your stalker. Are you okay?"

"No!" the blond exclaimed, his hands clenching his hair. "What does he want with me?" he asked in a whisper, his eyes wide and panicked. "Why is he always coming here? Why does he want me? I don't get it."

"Naruto." He turned to the security guard, who motioned him over. He complied, Kankurou bending down to pick up the twenty and punching in a code to open the register and put the money away.

The blond stopped beside the security guard, looking down at what he was motioning. "You're a firefighter, right? Does this look familiar to you."

Naruto bent down, inspecting the items he'd rung through without even looking at. Lighter fluids, Gasoline, matches, cloths. His hand flew to his mouth. _He'd_ sold this?.! "Holy shit, this guy is an arsonist! He—" Naruto cut himself off as his stalker's face appeared in his mind, only to be followed a second later by Sasuke's.

His eyes widened. "Oh my God." he whispered.

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Sasuke turned into the Wal-Mart parking lot and frowned as he noticed police cars were there. He parked as close as he could before climbing out of the car and slamming the door, jogging towards the front of Wal-Mart. His eyes scanned the officers until he noticed one of them was Shino, but Hinata was nowhere to be seen.

"Shino." he called, the other man turning to him and motioning to another police officer who'd stopped Sasuke to let him through. The firefighter pushed past the police officer, stopping beside Shino.

"What happened?"

"Naruto's stalker came again, caused problems. He harassed Naruto, then knocked a security guard down with his bag. He left without his purchases, and Naruto noticed it was everything one would need to start a large-scale fire."

"Shit." Sasuke breathed. "Is Naruto okay?"

"Yeah, he's out back, waiting for you. He says he needs to talk to you."

Sasuke bolted towards the side of the building, not even thanking Shino. He ran around the side and hurried to the end of the large building. He skidded to a halt before reaching the back corner, turning it sharply and spotting Naruto sitting at a picnic table with Temari and Kankurou.

"Naruto!"

The two siblings looked up, but Naruto didn't. He had a pencil in his hand and was scribbling intently on the sheet sitting on the table in front of him. Sasuke rushed towards them, stopping right beside the table.

"Are you okay?"

"No, he's _not_ okay!" Temari snapped. "What kind of a question is that?"

Sasuke glared. "You know what I mean!" he spat angrily. Why was she bitting _his_ head off?.!

Temari took a deep breath, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just—a little concerned for my brother." She put her hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"The stalker knows where he lives." Sasuke looked at Kankurou. "He said he missed watching Naruto sleep. We wouldn't think he knew where he lived based on that if it weren't for the fact that he's been sleeping at your place for the last couple of days."

"Shit." Sasuke whispered, rubbing his face. "Well, do we have a name? I mean, has he ever paid with a credit card, or debit or something?"

"No, always cash." Temari whispered, rubbing Naruto's shoulder comfortingly.

Naruto's scribbling stopped as he picked up the sheet, holding it to his chest with his eyes downcast. "Temari, Kankurou, can you leave us alone for a little bit?" he whispered.

"Sure." Temari kissed the top of his head before beginning to walk away, Kankurou following, but casting a worried glance over his shoulder.

Sasuke sat down across from Naruto at the picnic table, the blond watching his two surrogate siblings disappear around the corner before looking at Sasuke. His eyes lowered again once he glanced into his face, wincing. Sasuke just frowned.

"Shino said you had something to tell me."

"Yeah." Naruto whispered. "Don't—freak out, okay?"

"What's up?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

Naruto took a deep breath and put the paper down on the table, turning it to face Sasuke and pushing it towards him. The raven glanced down curiously, noting it was a sketch. He noted Naruto was a pretty good drawer before his eyes focused on the actual drawing. His eyes widened and he grabbed the sheet, holding it in his hands and crumpling the edges angrily as he glared at the emotionless face before him. Naruto had drawn Itachi.

"How—Where did—Why did you draw this?" Sasuke hissed, anger rising in his chest.

"Do you recognize him?" Naruto asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Yes." Sasuke ground out.

"This is your brother?"

"Yes."

"Shit." Naruto whispered, rubbing his face with both hands.

"You still haven't answered me." Sasuke growled. "_Why_ did you draw this?"

"Sasuke..." Naruto hesitated. "Sasuke, _my_ stalker is _your_ brother."

Sasuke ripped the picture in half.


	16. Nightly Visit

**A/N: You guys aren't going to believe this, but—I went to an Anime convention over the weekend, and I went to this yaoi conversation group thing there, and—well… I realized that yaoi is really wrong. I realized I really don't like it, so, I'm really sorry, but I'm going to be changing this fic. It's going to become a SasuSaku, probably, and I haven't decided who I'm going to pair Naruto up with yet. Possibly Ino, I don't know. Again, I'm really sorry about this, I didn't mean for it to happen, but… yeah…**

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**So, ten bucks says a few of you rolled your eyes and didn't believe me, another couple of you fell down dead, and some of you didn't know whether I was joking or not. I hope I didn't lose any readers who stopped reading this author's note after I said I was changing it to a SasuSaku. :sweatdrp: lol. I was, indeed, kidding. I DID go to this yaoi talk thing, but it in no way made me hate yaoi, lmao. This girl has been, and forever will be, a SasuNaru fan. SasuNaru all the way, baby! YEAH!**

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Naruto stared out the front glass windows of Wal-Mart, peering into the parking lot from the inside of the store. Sasuke had gotten a call from the office he ran—not that Naruto had known that until the phone call, but then he realized all that money had to be coming from _somewhere_. He'd found out Sasuke occasionally went downtown to his father's old company to set things in order. He had no desire to be a businessman but since this was his father's life, Sasuke had somewhat taken it over like he'd been meant to. He just never went in to work, and had hired someone else to be him, so to speak. He only ever got called when there were problems nobody could fix but him.

And so, instead of being picked up by Sasuke or something, Naruto was stuck walking to his car. Sure, he wasn't alone, but once he was _in_ his car, he would be. That, and the fact that almost everyone else had already left. Temari and Kankurou had finished around eight, while Naruto had remained until close, which was ten-thirty.

"Nothing to worry about." Naruto whispered. "Everything will be fine." He nodded to himself. His feet _still_ didn't move. "Aw, c'mon, now! Tsunade didn't raise no wussy!" He looked down and glared at his feet. "Come on, this is ridiculous. Move!"

"Talking to yourself, there, Uzumaki?" Naruto jerked around, his eyes wide with fear.

"H-hey." he muttered, looking away. He didn't know what it was about the other man, but something about him just really made him uncomfortable. Uncomfortable, and a little scared.

"Where's your boyfriend?" he teased. Naruto shifted uneasily.

"He had to go take care of something."

"Aw, so you're all alone?" the man sneered. Naruto winced.

"I have to go." The blond headed for the door. "I'll see you later, Kisame."

"Bye, blondie." Kisame Hoshigaki smirked at Naruto as the blond hurried away from him.

"Nothing's wrong. Nothing's wrong. You're okay. You're okay. Nothing's wrong." Naruto whispered to himself as he hurried towards the back of the parking lot, where his car was located. He walked past Pat's car and sighed, relieved, because he remembered having parked right beside it. As he went to enter his car, he froze. His car was gone.

"No." he whispered. "You're shitting me. This is _not_ happening." He looked about himself worriedly, trying not to panic.

_Okay, Sasuke wouldn't have done this, because I'm dating him now, so he has no reason to. The others wouldn't have done this, because they know the situation._ Naruto began slowly walking backwards, scanning the area as sweat trickled down the side of his face. Considering, he only had one option left. He had to make it back inside Wal-Mart before anything happened.

He froze as he heard a car pulling up behind him and slowly turned around, terrified. His fear was justified as his eyes fell on a sleek black Jaguar, his stalker sitting behind the wheel with the window rolled down. Naruto's knees began to shake.

"Hi. I noticed your car was missing. Need a ride?" He smirked at Naruto, and the blond couldn't help but notice how similar that smirk was to Sasuke's.

"I know who you are." Naruto whispered, taking a step back.

"Do you, now?" Itachi opened his car door, his hands in the pockets of his long black coat. He pulled them back out, a lighter in one hand, and a pack of cigarettes in the other.

"You're Itachi Uchiha." Naruto's voice shook as he continued backing away, the other man advancing as he lit a cigarette. He inhaled deeply.

"Oh, good." He paused briefly to exhale. "Now we can be on a first-name basis. Itachi and Naruto."

"You're The Fan." Naruto accused.

"I sure am."

"Why are you trying to kill Sasuke?" the blond practically hollered, fear gripping his chest as he realized he was soon going to back into the chain-link fence that separated the parking lot from the construction site next door.

"Why not?" Itachi shrugged.

"He's your brother!"

"And my parents were my parents, I don't understand your argument." Itachi's eyes narrowed. He then held the cigarette pack out towards Naruto. "Want one?"

"No."

"Why not?" Itachi smirked. "They don't bite. Not like me."

Now, being a twenty-five year old man, Naruto prided himself in not being scared of very many things. Itachi was not one of them. The man terrified him, and the fact that he'd hit the chain link fence behind him and Itachi was _still_ headed right for him—Naruto didn't know what to do.

Realistically, the firefighter was probably stronger than the man in front of him, but he didn't want to chance it. Itachi could have something hidden up his sleeve, and the blond wasn't too keen on dying, thankyouverymuch.

"What do you want from me?" Naruto whispered, inching along the fence slightly so that Itachi had to change direction.

"I think you know what I want." Naruto blinked, and suddenly, Itachi was right in front of him. His heart stopped beating. The other man was inches away from him, his hands on either side of the blond's head, his fingers clutching at the fence behind him. Naruto stared at him, terrified, unsure of what to do. If he screamed, Itachi could just kiss him to stop him. If he fought back, the other man might have a weapon.

"Please, just leave me alone." Naruto whispered, his heart pounding against his ribcage so hard he was sure his bones would break.

"I can't do that." Itachi leaned closer, his body pressed up against Naruto's. The blond whimpered, closing his eyes and willing it all away. He felt warm breath on the side of his neck, soon followed by lips. He whimpered again.

_What do I do?.! What do I do?.! No, no, no, no, no. _Naruto began to hyperventilate as one of Itachi's hands left the fence to run through his blond hair, the other moving down his side to the bottom of his shirt, across his stomach, and then down again. _No, no, no..._ Naruto's mind repeated the word over and over again as Itachi's hand found itself somewhere Naruto didn't want it.

"You're not hard." Itachi accused, narrowing his eyes. "We'll have to change that." He began rubbing his hand against Naruto's crotch, and the blond felt tears forming in his eyes.

"Please." he whispered.

"Please what?" Itachi smirked, leaning against the blond more and rubbing harder.

"Please, stop!" He began to push Itachi away, finally able to regain use of his arms as his fear intensified, allowing his blood to unfreeze.

Itachi ignored him, pushing against the blond's hands, still pressed up against him and continuing his ministrations. He began to smirk as Naruto's body betrayed him, feeling the blond's length hardening as he rubbed it.

"Please, just leave me alone!" Naruto hollered, struggling to push Itachi off. He cried out as Itachi's grip in his hair tightened, wrenching his head back as the man leaned forward so his mouth was against Naruto's ear.

"You're going to shut up, and like it. Just like you're meant to. Just like I _want_ you to."

"No, no, no." Naruto began to whimper aloud as tears fell from the corner of his eyes. Itachi had moved his hand, and he was now undoing the blond's pants so he could reach into his boxers.

Then, the blond's eyes snapped open as a sound hit his ears. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. It was the sound of a motorcycle. More specifically, a Ducati. Even _more_ specifically, _Sasuke's_ Ducati. _Thank fucking God!_ Naruto thought, panicked.

"Sasuke!" he hollered, Itachi's lips falling onto his own a second later to muffle his scream.

Naruto pressed his lips together tightly, ensuring he didn't allow Itachi's demanding tongue access. The older man's hand found its way into Naruto's boxers and he squeezed, hard. Naruto let out a cry, causing his mouth to open and allowing Itachi to thrust his tongue inside. The elder Uchiha moaned as tears fell down Naruto's face.

"Hey!" Itachi pulled away from Naruto, the blond thanking every higher being he'd ever heard of. "Itachi!"

The elder Uchiha turned, seeing his enraged brother standing beside his car, the younger man's motorcycle parked right beside it, his helmet clenched in his hand.

"Get away from him, you _bastard_!"

Sasuke let out a cry of anger as he lunged at Itachi, wielding his helmet as if to slam it down on the elder man's head. Itachi pivoted out of the way, grabbing Sasuke's hand and bending his wrist backwards until he heard a 'pop.'

The younger Uchiha screamed, dropping his helmet as Itachi kicked him in the stomach. The raven flew backwards, slamming painfully into his brother's car.

"Stop it!" Naruto went to attack Itachi when Kisame suddenly appeared, grabbing the blond and putting his arm around his neck, holding him painfully in place.

"Let the brothers reunite." Kisame smirked.

Naruto struggled, watching wide-eyed as Itachi walked towards his younger brother.

Sasuke coughed, pain shooting up his spine. His vision swam as he struggled to regain control of himself and numb the pain slightly.

Suddenly, a hand wrapped around his throat and he gasped as he was wrenched to his feet, Itachi slamming him back against the car, choking him.

"Hello, little brother. Still too weak to protect those important to you?" Sasuke's eyes flickered to Naruto before he looked back at his brother, finding it harder and harder to breathe.

"Leave him alone!" Naruto hollered, struggling against Kisame. The other man was much larger than him, and much stronger. Naruto could do nothing more than jerk his arm from side to side.

Itachi smirked at his brother, looking back at Naruto. "Fiery, huh? How is he in bed?"

Sasuke struggled, tugging at the hand around his neck with a growl. Itachi squeezed harder, his eyes narrowing and his face returning to its usual emotionless mask.

Naruto growled, kicking one leg backwards and nailing Kisame in the crotch. The other man howled with pain as he let him go, falling to his knees, clutching his groin. Naruto bolted towards Itachi and Sasuke, intent on tackling the elder Uchiha to the ground. Itachi noticed the action out of the corner of his eye and shifted when Naruto came closer. The blond ran right by him and Itachi grabbed the back of his shirt with his free hand before slamming him sideways into his car.

Naruto's head went through the passenger side window before he slumped forward, unconscious, blood trailing down the side of his head.

"Na..." Sasuke chocked out, trying to get free from his brother without being able to use his left hand.

Itachi's head snapped up as he heard yelling, and saw security guards running towards him, some with their guns drawn.

"Tch." Itachi threw his brother to the side, grabbing the back of Naruto's shirt and pulling his upper body out of his car. He only had two seats, and he actually debated leaving Kisame behind in favour of taking Naruto, but he'd have other chances with the blond.

He dropped Naruto right beside Sasuke before calling to Kisame. The other man groaned as he hurried as fast as he could towards the elder Uchiha's car, knowing he'd have no problem driving off without him.

Once the two of them were inside, Itachi screeched out of the parking lot as the security guards came within firing distance. A few shot at the car, but it was going too fast for them to be able to actually hit either passenger.

"Naruto." Sasuke coughed as he crawled towards the blond, cradling his left hand to his chest.

The blond didn't move, his head turned to one side and blood oozing out of a cut on his forehead. Red was staining the brilliant blond hair, and pieces of glass were still embedded in the tanned skin.

"Call an ambulance!" Sasuke heard someone yell before the person bent down beside him. "Naruto? Can you hear me?"

Sasuke turned to see who it was, not recognizing the man beside him. He was a little on the chubby side, but Sasuke could tell he was incredibly muscled. He'd been the first person to arrive, after all, so he had to have been pretty fit, despite his appearance.

"What happened?"

"Who are you?" Sasuke retorted, narrowing his eyes defensively.

"Hn, you must be his new boyfriend, Uchiha." the man grumbled as he checked Naruto over without touching him. "The name's Chouji. Chouji Akimichi. I've been working with Naruto for two years."

"Is he going to be okay?" Sasuke asked, looking back down at Naruto.

"I don't know." Chouji shot a look at Sasuke's wrist, which was slowly starting to swell and turn purple. "I don't know."

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Kakashi groaned as he slammed his car door, rubbing the back of his head as he made his way towards the firehouse. He'd missed it, this was true, but he also enjoyed having all that time off. _Mind you, it would've been better if I'd been allowed to have Iruka stay with me,_ the Captain grinned. Oh, the things he could've done with his cute little Arson Investigator.

That, and the first thing he got after leaving the hospital was a night shift. It was like the Gods were against him, or something. He'd gone from being able to sleep as much as he liked—to having to wake up every two seconds for a stupid fire. Kakashi was _not_ looking forward to tonight.

He opened the door to the station, and almost wished he hadn't. Genma had glomped him the second he walked through the door, sending him crashing backwards. He fell on his back and let out a small cry as Genma landed on top of him.

"Oh, look, Raidou! It actually _was_ Kakashi, this time!"

"Well done, Genma." Raidou sighed as he grabbed the back of the firefighter's shirt and pulled him off their Captain. "Welcome back, Kakashi."

"Starting to wish I hadn't come back." the grey-haired firefighter muttered as he got back to his feet. "And another thing." He spun around and punched Raidou clear across the face, sending the man toppling backwards.

"Raidou!" Genma turned to Kakashi angrily. "I'll kill you if you impair him from being able to give me head!"

"_That's_ for telling Gai where I was." Kakashi pointed one accusing finger at Raidou. "I thought we were _friends_!"

"We _are_ friends." Raidou insisted as he rubbed his jaw. "But sometimes, you just have to make sacrifices. It was us, or you, and we chose us."

"Excuse me." They all turned to Kotetsu, who was standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and one hand in the air. "There was no vote, Raidou decided by himself."

"Fine." Raidou sighed. "It was you, or us, and _I_ chose us. Better?" he asked Kotetsu.

"Much. We feel your pain, Kakashi." the firefighter reassured him as he walked towards the table to sit down.

"You weren't the one being harassed day in, day out by a psycho." Kakashi grumbled as he made his way towards his office.

"Yeah, but we were stuck with him." Izumo motioned Genma.

"Hey!" Genma exclaimed, insulted.

Just then, the Rig Bay door opened and Naruto and Sasuke walked in, Naruto yelling at Sasuke to stop touching his ass, and that him having a sprained wrist was no excuse.

"Fuck me sideways!" Kiba exclaimed as he saw them.

"Offer?" Genma appeared beside him like rapid fire. Kiba punched him in the face before standing from the couch and walking towards the two men.

"What happened to you?" he asked as he looked at Naruto's scratched up face.

"We just... we had a rough night." Naruto cleared his throat uncomfortably. "But hey, Kakashi! You're back!"

Kakashi had one hand raised, his index finger pointing at Naruto, and then Sasuke, and then back to Naruto. "Are—are you guys dating, now?"

"Yeah! I _told_ you that Sasuke was out to get me, but did any of _you_ believe me? _No_!" Naruto rolled his eyes as he fell down into the closest chair.

"I did." Kotetsu offered with a smirk. "I just didn't care."

"Bastard!" Naruto hissed, before laughing good naturedly.

Kakashi smiled as he watched the interactions around him. Nothing apart from the two dating seemed to have changed, and watching everyone act like normal was making him glad that he was finally back. It was then that he noticed a lone firefighter in the corner, muttering something under his breath while shooting angry glances at Genma. Kakashi frowned as he headed towards him.

"Hi, you must be the temp." Kakashi said, holding his hand out. "I'm Captain Kakashi Hatake."

"Tenzou Yamato." the firefighter grumbled, shaking Kakashi's hand. "I've been ordered to stay here for another few days, until I'm certain you're all right to work."

Kakashi laughed as he noticed at the disgruntled look on Yamato's face. "I take it you don't like Genma very much."

"If he tries to rape me _one more time_, I'm shooting him." Yamato growled. Kakashi laughed.

"Please do. You'll be doing all of us a favour."

"I heard that!" Genma hollered across the room.

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Sasuke stared up at the boring ceiling of Station Seven's bunk room, listening to all the other firefighters around him sleep. He heard the occasional groan and pant from Genma's part of the room, and could only _imagine_ what the pervert was dreaming about.

Naruto would occasionally whimper, causing Sasuke to reach over and run his hand through the blond's hair until he quietened down. He always wondered what it was Naruto dreamed about. They'd talked about it briefly a while back when they'd first started going out, but they hadn't really gone into detail.

Also, Naruto only ever seemed to have them when he was sleeping alone in a bed. Whenever he and Sasuke slept together, the blond would curl up into Sasuke and sleep soundlessly all night. But when he was alone in a bed, he would whimper, shake, sweat, and sometimes, he would even cry. Sasuke hated seeing him like that.

The raven sighed as he counted the cracks in the ceiling, barely able to see them in the darkness. There was a light on outside which shone through the window, allowing Sasuke to just barely be able to see.

He thought about how slow the night had been so far, wondering if it could possibly just stay that way so that once he was asleep, he would remain asleep. The chances were small, so he didn't hold his breath.

As he stared at the ceiling, he began to feel a little light-headed, and wondered why he could see some kind of fog. He glanced out the window, noticing there was no fog outside, only in the room. _I wonder why that is._ Sasuke's eyes began to drift shut slowly, his brain still trying to process why there was fog inside the bunk room.

Then, Sasuke rolled himself off the bed, the pain forcing his eyes to snap open as he suddenly realized what was going on.

"Shit!" Sasuke rushed across the room and fumbled to grab the handle on the wall. He pulled it down, and immediately, a loud, shrill alarm rang throughout the firehouse.

"Wake up!" Sasuke ran to Naruto's bed and slapped him, the blond jerking up, his eyes opening. They were glazed over, as if it was taking all he had to stay awake. "Kakashi! Genma! Wake up!" Sasuke was running to each bed, shaking the firefighters while he, himself, struggled not to lose consciousness. _Shit, we're all gonna die if we stay here,_ Sasuke realized. _I need to get them out!_

The raven ran out of the bunk room, one hand over his mouth as the smoke became thicker in the main room. He could only guess the fire was somewhere in the Rig Bay. Itachi—for who else could it be?—had obviously wanted them to die of asphyxiation. A fire would've woken them all up, but smoke inhalation was much more subtle.

Sasuke ran to the Rig Bay door and carefully touched the handle to test for heat. He felt none, suggesting the fire was elsewhere, so he hastily threw open the door and ran in, grabbing a few Scott packs and masks. _Kiba, Naruto, Genma,_ he said in his head. _They're the three that'll probably be the most reliable right now, based on lung capacity._

He ran back inside and to the bunk room, a Scott pack and mask already on himself. He ran to Naruto's side, the blond still slightly dazed, and threw the mask and Scott pack at him.

"Put this on, now!" he ordered, his voice muffled due to his lack of radio.

Naruto began to put it on slowly as Sasuke pulled one on an unconscious Kiba, shaking him until he woke up once the mask was on. He did the same with Genma as Naruto started to regain his focus and pull Kakashi out of the room.

As soon as the other two were coherent, they also began getting people out of the room as Sasuke tried to locate the source of the smoke. He couldn't seem to find the fire anywhere, at first, until he heard crackling above him. He looked up, and his eyes narrowed. _Bastard! He started a fire in the vents!_ Sasuke growled before turning and running back to the bunk room to help the other three.

By the time they'd all exited the building, and the four conscious firefighters were forcing the others to wake up, Engine Eight appeared around the corner, screeching down the road towards Station Seven.

"Are you all right?" the Captain demanded as he jumped out of the rig. "Is everyone okay?"

"I hope so." Sasuke said as he pulled off his mask. "The fire's in the vent. There's a lot of smoke in there, so be careful."

"All right, let's move it, men!" The Captain ran towards the Station with his firefighters as Sasuke looked around.

The Uchiha's eyes caught on a figure standing on the roof of a building across the street. Sasuke growled, because he knew the only person that could be was Itachi. He probably hadn't expected anyone to still be awake, and Sasuke thanked whatever higher being existed that his elder brother had never thought to pay any attention to him. After all, if he had, he would've known Sasuke was an insomniac, and therefore, would've still been awake.

_If you're starting a war, I'm going to win,_ Sasuke thought angrily as he narrowed his eyes. He didn't bother alerting anyone about the fact that Itachi was across the street. By the time they got there, his brother would be gone.

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**A/N: True story… You know you're sick minded when you read 'exotic' and think "Holy shit! Why is the word 'erotic' on the back of a milk carton?.!" Yes… this happened to me today. I almost choked on said milk until it clicked in my brain that it had said exotic, and I was a dirty, dirty pervert. Kind of like Genma. Lol.**

**Also... I caved. :sweatdrop: My muse bribed me, as she so often does, with a pic of SasuNaru if I wrote her some KakaIru smut... So I did... and now, her and my other friends want me to write lemons for all my fics... so I will... because they keep bribing me with pictures! Dammit! If I could draw, being bribed by pictures wouldn't work! Anyway, the first one I'm working on is Roommates, so I'm going over it again, and I'm going to add lemons. I won't post them on here, cause it's not allowed, so anyone interested in reading my shitty lemons, I made a yahoo group, for which the link is in my profile. You can join if you just send me a message from the main page of my group. :smiles: It's not mandatory or anything, it's just optional. For now, there's only the KakaIru smut (my first attempt ever at a lemon) and the first few chapters of Roommates re-worked. **

**Yeah... I'm done now.**


	17. Thoughts and Actions

**A/N: Okay, the ruler option not working is really, REALLY starting to annoy me!**

**Disclaimer: Sasuke and Naruto aren't mine, but they're trying to be because they like how often I have them having sex, whereas K. Masashi keeps them apart.**

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Iruka whistled a random tune as he flipped a pancake, his hips swaying from side to side before he walked to the fridge. He pulled it open and grabbed the apple juice before heading towards one of the cupboards by the sink and pulling out a glass. He poured himself some of the juice, and then walked back to the frying pan, taking a sip as he poked at the pancake with his spatula.

He almost dropped his glass as he felt two hand encircle his waist and someone nuzzling at his neck.

"Jesus, are you trying to kill me?" Iruka let out a slow breath, trying to calm his now-racing heart.

"Mm. Sorry, love. Is this for me?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah. You're early." Iruka said, glancing at the clock. It was barely even six.

Kakashi was weird, and he loved pancakes cold. Since he usually got off work at seven, which made him get home around seven-fifteen, if Iruka made the pancakes around six, they would be nice and cold by the time his lover got home.

"Mm. Firehouse caught fire. I almost died. Thanks for the pancakes."

Iruka's eyes widened as he spun around. "You—the—what?.!" he sputtered. "You almost _died_?.!"

"Yeah." Kakashi stared at the pancakes. "Think they'll cool down faster if we put them in the freezer, or will they just turn into blocks of batter?"

"Kakashi!" Iruka slammed his glass on the counter before grabbing his lover's face in both hands. "Focus! You almost _died_?.! What happened?.!"

Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He'd only told Iruka because he knew the Arson Investigator would find out, anyway. He'd just hoped saying it so quickly and nonchalantly would've made Iruka not make a big deal out of it. _I should've known better,_ the Captain sighed.

"The Fan started a fire in the Station, but ensured only smoke was present. If Sasuke hadn't been awake, we would've died from asphyxiation." Kakashi encircled Iruka's waist, resting his forehead against his lovers. "But I'm fine, see? Nothing happened. We just stayed behind to help clean up the mess. The Station is fine, and everything. Just a few things need to be replaced. And nobody was hurt."

"I'm going to _kill_ that bastard when I find him." Iruka growled. "Trying to kill Sasuke is one thing, but he's playing in a whole different field when he starts messing with _my_ 'Kashi."

Kakashi couldn't help but smile as he placed a kiss on Iruka's forehead, hugging him. "I'm glad you're so protective of me, Iruka."

"Damn straight! Anyone tries to hurt you, I'll kill them." He meant it, too. Kakashi chuckled, shaking his head.

"Thanks, love."

"You're welcome."

"Another thing."

"Hm?" Iruka looked up at Kakashi, the firefighter still hugging him.

"Our kitchen's on fire." The Captain smiled down pleasantly at Iruka. The brunette turned in his lover's arms and let out a yelp before extracting himself from the grey-haired man, smoke emitting from the pan the pancake was on. He hurriedly pulled the pan off the stove and rushed towards the back door with it, not wanting to set off the fire alarm.

Kakashi just chuckled, shaking his head as he headed towards the stairs to change. He'd let Iruka chew him out for this later. First, he needed to get into more—appropriate attire. After all, he had a few days off until Station Seven was back in working order, and he intended to make the best of it. _Who would've thought I'd leave the hospital, work for a shift, and then get another couple of days off,_ Kakashi grinned. _God must love me._

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"God must hate me." Naruto groaned as Sasuke kissed his neck.

"Mm? And why's that?" the raven grinned, resting his chin on the blond's chest and looking up at him as they both lay in Naruto's bed.

"Because. My ass hurts." The blond winced.

This answer caused Sasuke to burst out laughing. He buried his face in Naruto's chest as his shoulders shook from laughter. Naruto smiled, too, but still hit his lover playfully in the back.

"Shut up, it's true."

"Sorry." Sasuke snorted, and started laughing again. Naruto just shook his head, waiting for Sasuke to calm down.

When he finally did, the raven resumed his previous position, his chin resting on the blond's chest and his dark eyes locked on Naruto's blue ones. "I have a question."

"Question away." Naruto grinned.

Sasuke stared at him for a few seconds before rolling off him and sitting up properly, looking down at him. Naruto propped himself up on his elbows, staring at Sasuke, confused. "Move in with me?"

Naruto's heart leapt into his throat, and he almost said yes before his mind forced him to stop. He lowered his eyes, clenching his fists as he thought about it. Yes, he wanted to live with Sasuke, but like he always told Neji when the Hyuuga offered to let Naruto be his roommate—he couldn't leave this house.

"Sasuke, I-I would _love_ to live with you." Naruto looked up at him, smiling. "I really, really would, but..."

"But what?" Sasuke asked, not knowing that rejection could hurt _this_ much.

"I-I can't leave this house." Naruto whispered. "This—was the same house my parents and I lived in. It was burned down, and then rebuilt. This house means the world to me. I can't leave it."

Sasuke looked away, but he understood. This house was as important to Naruto as Sasuke's pictures of his family were to him. He would respect that.

"But..." Sasuke turned back to Naruto as the blond spoke. "Um, you can—you can move in here, you know, if you want..."

And just like that, the pain in Sasuke's chest was gone, and he grinned. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." Naruto smiled. "You know, as long as you don't pull any more pranks on me." The blond narrowed his eyes in jest, and Sasuke laughed.

"I promise, no more pranks." Sasuke reassured. "But—you're sure it's okay?"

"Of course. I almost said yes to moving in with you, but—I can't leave this house. So, if I can't go to you, I can have _you_," Naruto rolled on top of Sasuke, smirking down at him, "come to _me_."

"Don't you mean come _for_ you?" Sasuke grinned.

"Or that. Whichever works." Naruto kissed him gently before rolling off him again and standing up.

Sasuke pouted as he sat up, watching Naruto walk across the room. The blond bent at the waist as he picked up his boxers, and Sasuke's pout diminished slightly as he admired the view. Naruto pulled his boxers on before turning around, catching Sasuke in the act.

"Perv." He fake-glared at him.

"Why are you putting clothes on?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Back in bed. Naked. Now."

"I'm hungry." Naruto pouted, patting his stomach. "The little guy is crying. He wants food. He's threatening to eat my spine, and I kinda need that."

Sasuke couldn't decide whether to pout, or glare, so—he did both. Naruto laughed, shaking his head.

"You are the _only_ person I know who can pull off pouting and glaring at the same time." (1) He grinned as he made his way back to the bed, straddling Sasuke. The raven frowned before pulling on the band of Naruto's boxers in disapproval.

"You're still dressed."

"Actually, I'm in my underwear." Naruto grinned. "And I didn't come back to bed for you." The blond grabbed Sasuke's hand and stood, pulling the raven up with him. Sasuke let out a groan before finally allowing himself to be pulled from the bed, going across the room to get his boxers.

He pulled them on before following Naruto out of the room, the blond already halfway down the hall, and heading down the stairs. The two of them met up again in the kitchen, where Naruto was pulling out eggs and cheese to make omelettes.

Sasuke walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing his shoulder. "You know the only thing I like eating in the morning is you." he whispered before biting at Naruto's ear.

The blond blushed, but continued pulling ingredients out, anyway. "That may be true, but I doubt I'm very nutritious."

"Mm, you'd be surprised." Sasuke watched over Naruto's shoulder as the blond began to make breakfast.

"When are you going to bring your stuff over?" the blond inquired as he began making the first omelette, not even having to ask what Sasuke liked, since he already knew.

"Later today, if that's all right with you."

"It's more than all right with me." Naruto grinned, looking over his shoulder at Sasuke. "The sooner the better."

"Mm. I'm glad you agree." Sasuke kissed Naruto's cheek, having been aiming for his mouth when the blond turned his head away. He frowned, miffed at having missed, but then shrugged, deciding he'd fix that later.

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Sasuke dumped his last box in Naruto's living room before closing the front door of the house, smiling to himself as he thought about sharing this place with Naruto. He'd always had lots of houses, but none had ever really been _home_. Now, he had a _real_ home, with someone he loved. And _no one_ was taking it away from him. _Not even you, Itachi, _the raven thought angrily, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey, is that everything?" Naruto asked as he came down the stairs, grinning at Sasuke. The raven smirked back.

"Yeah, that's everything. Sure you've got the space for it?"

"I'm sure I can manage." Naruto teased as he grabbed one of the boxes. "Need help?"

"Sure. Those are books." Sasuke offered as he followed Naruto up the stairs towards the study.

The blond dumped the box on the ground, Sasuke following suit before they both opened their respective boxes and began to put the books on the available shelves.

As Naruto emptied the box, he caught sight of all the titles of the books, frowning as he continued to put them up on the shelves. When he was halfway through the box, he figured it was just about time to ask.

"Hey Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"What's with all the medical books?" Naruto held one of them up. "I mean, I know we need to know a lot of medical stuff, what with being firefighters and all, but that's usually in the handbook. Why do you have all this extra stuff?"

Sasuke sighed as he continued to put books on the shelf. "Truth be told, I never wanted to be a firefighter." he admitted. "I always wanted to be a paramedic, but because of Itachi, I figured it was almost like my duty to be a firefighter until the bastard goes down." He turned to Naruto. "I passed all the tests, and I'm qualified for a transfer whenever I want, but I won't become a paramedic until Itachi is dead, or behind bars."

"Oh." Naruto looked away, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Well, I'm sure it'll happen soon." he reassured him as he put the books on the shelf.

"What about you?" Sasuke asked, Naruto turning to him, confused. "Was this a choice, or did you just do it because of your dad?"

Naruto shrugged. "I always kind of wanted to be a firefighter, because growing up, my dad was like the coolest superhero ever. Even after he died, the idea of saving lives kind of stuck. I don't know, I think I'd have become a firefighter either way." He flashed Sasuke a grin. "Besides, firefighters get all the hot babes."

"Don't call me a babe." Sasuke narrowed his eyes jokingly, and Naruto burst out laughing.

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"Aw, why couldn't that have lasted _longer_?" Kiba whined as he parked the car in front of Station Seven and climbed out. Sasuke followed suit, with Naruto laughing in the back seat as Akamaru continued to lick his face.

"Hey, guys." Kiba called to the previous shift as they checked out their gear. "What's up?"

"Hey, Kiba. Nothing much. But hey, check it out." The firefighter motioned the station. "There she is, good as new."

"Try not to burn this one down, will you, boys?" another firefighter teased.

"Hey!" Kiba pointed his index finger at the firefighter. "We're gonna go down in history as the only firehouse to ever have caught fire! Feel proud!"

"Actually, it makes me feel useless, but then again, I wasn't in the firehouse when it caught fire."

They continued to tease Kiba as Naruto and Sasuke walked into the main room, Akamaru trotting along behind them. He paused at the door and looked back at Kiba before looking forward towards Naruto, and then back at Kiba. He seemed completely lost, not knowing who to follow. Finally, loyalty kicked in and Akamaru returned to his master's side, wagging his tail happily as he watched Kiba threaten the other firefighters.

Sasuke and Naruto walked into the main room, greeting the other firefighters before sitting down at the table. Normally, Sasuke sat across from the blond, but today, for some unknown reason, he sat beside him. Naruto cocked an eyebrow before shrugging and pulling the newspaper towards him.

The Uchiha's hand slipped beneath the table, and a second later, Naruto jerked, his knees hitting the underside of the table as he let out a yelp.

"Jerk!" Naruto hit Sasuke with the newspaper. "Save it for later!"

"Save what for later?" Both men screamed and almost fell sideways out of their chairs as Genma's head appeared between them. To be honest, Naruto was surprised the pervert hadn't been under the table, taking pictures.

"Go away!" Naruto and Sasuke both hollered, the blond shoving his hand into Genma's face and pushing him away.

"You guys are always so mean to me!" Genma huffed before storming across the room and sitting down on the couch, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Jesus." Naruto whispered, shaking his head as Raidou walked out of the bunk room. Naruto motioned him. "Do you never have sex with him or something? Why is he always so horny?"

"I have sex with him at _least_ four times a day." Raidou defended, crossing his arms. "I think he just always has his hormones on high." he whispered to the other two men.

"Maybe we should cut off his balls, that'll lower them a bit." Sasuke smirked.

"I heard that!" Genma hollered across the room, his hands having slammed onto his crotch, as if to protect his threatened balls.

"Radar _and_ super-hearing. He's like the superhero of sex." Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

All of their heads snapped towards the speaker as a voice rang out in the station.

"Come on, men!" Kakashi called as he exited his office. "Let's show those cops down at the station that we actually _deserve_ our paychecks!"

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Itachi sighed as he leaned back on his couch, bringing his feet up to lie down, and lighting another cigarette. He inhaled the smoke, holding in his lungs for a full ten seconds before exhaling again.

Kisame having come outside to help him had caused problems, and now, he had lost his source at Wal-Mart. He knew it wasn't that big of a deal to find a new one, but it would be hard ensuring he didn't accidentally approach someone who was friends with Naruto. He only knew so much about the blond's work life.

He'd figured after having basically ruined Kisame's life, what with having him help a well-known arsonist, that he would help the guy disappear. He'd arranged for a new name and gave him money to help him get started somewhere else before practically shoving him onto a train. The last thing the Uchiha needed was to be ratted out by some disgruntled idiot who had to give up what he had because of him.

Selfish? Itachi? Maybe just a little.

The Uchiha let out a long sigh as he thought back to his encounter with his brother. It had been too long since he'd been able to show his superiority, and he'd felt like he was high on power the whole drive home after the encounter in the parking lot. He'd been concerned he may have severely injured Naruto, but the man had been fine.

And then, Itachi had almost managed to kill his brother once and for all—but the stupid idiot had to be awake. The Uchiha was still mad about that, having been so close to ridding himself of his brother, only to find out he'd been awake all that time. _At least Naruto was saved in the process,_ Itachi reasoned.

Even though he wanted that golden angel all to himself, he wasn't going to forget his first and most important goal: kill Sasuke. Itachi wanted to rid the planet of all Uchihas. Once that was done, if Naruto wasn't destroyed in the process, he would have him, and make him his.

Itachi smirked as he formulated his next plan. He was going to get rid of his brother in the next fire, or he wasn't going to leave the burning building.

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(1) I can do that. :is proud:

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**Yes, this was short, and I'm sorry. Next chapter is short, too, because the fic is coming to a close. **

**Also, this is another note to people who didn't read it in the previous chapter, I now write lemons. They're on my yahoogroup, the link of which is in my profile.**


	18. The Perfect Plan

**A/N: Must... kill... ruler... option...**

**Disclaimer: Naruto and Sasuke changed their minds about being mine and ran back to K. Masashi, insisting he was nicer and didn't hurt them like I did.**

**Also, Lauryl, I got a message from you with an email, and you asked me a question. I've tried emailing you five times, but the message keeps failing. If you could please give me another address I could reach you at so I can answer your question, that would be appreciated. :smiles:**

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Naruto fell down into one of the empty seats at the large table and slammed his head on the wood before him. Neji cocked an eyebrow, his beer halfway to his mouth, and then looked at Sasuke over the blond's head.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked the other firefighter.

"He's just tired." Sasuke smirked, taking his seat beside the blond. "It's been a while, Neji. How's it going?"

"It's crazy." The Hyuuga sighed. He looked around before leaning closer to Sasuke. "Tenten is driving me nuts with all the wedding arrangements. I'm beginning to think it might not be worth it."

Neji let out a cry as Tenten smacked him across the back of the head before sitting beside him. "Hello, Sasuke. Naruto."

"Hi, Tenten." Sasuke laughed slightly, Naruto merely raising one hand from his position, his head still on the wooden table.

"Is he okay?" Tenten motioned Naruto.

"Tired." Sasuke replied, rubbing the blond's back. Well, that was what he was doing with his _visible_ hand. While that hand was rubbing smooth circles up and down Naruto's back, his other had snuck under the table, and Naruto jumped for the second time that day, slamming his knees on the underside of the table again.

"Fuck!" Naruto turned to Sasuke, punching him in the shoulder. "Will you _stop_ hanging out with Genma! I do not have a sign that says 'molest me' stuck to my back!" Naruto batted Sasuke's hands away before glaring and crossing his arms.

"Aw, but you just look so _cute_ when you're like that." Sasuke whispered, inching closer until his mouth was right beside Naruto's ear. "And you know you like it, whether we're in public or not." He licked the shell of the blond's ear and the other firefighter shivered.

Tenten watched on with avid interest while Neji winced, looking anywhere but at them. He'd been around when Naruto had been dating that weirdo, Sai, but he still wasn't comfortable watching two men make out—even though they weren't _really_ making out.

"Hey, so I heard tomorrow is Tomato's last day." Kiba said as he sat down, Hinata right beside him. Tenten cocked an eyebrow at him, and he frowned. "What?"

"No 'hello,' no 'how's it going,' no 'can I sit here'? No nothing? Just 'I heard Tomato's leaving'?"

"I'm sorry, Tenten, do I have to whip out a trumpet and give you a special greeting?" Kiba grinned. The paramedic cuffed him lightly across the back of the head.

"Hey, lovebirds, did you hear me?" Kiba grabbed the table in his hands and shook it until it caught Naruto's attention, forcing the blond to look at him.

"Huh?" Sasuke glared at Kiba for being interrupted, but the brunette just smirked.

"Tomorrow is Tomato's last day with us."

Naruto gasped. "Yamato's leaving? No! I loved that guy!"

"I hope you mean in a platonic way." Sasuke warned. Naruto just laughed.

"Of course, of course. You're my number one, Sasuke." Naruto pecked his cheek lightly.

"You know, I never knew you and Yamato were close." Tenten said with a frown. "I mean, I've seen you talking to him a few times, but are you really going to miss him _that_ much?"

"Are you kidding? I'm going to _cry_ when he leaves." Naruto sighed. "When he was around, I didn't have to deal with Genma."

Kiba snorted into his beer, choking. Hinata patted his back, a look of worry on her face as he continued to hack the beer out of his lungs.

"Hey, Naruto, I'm going to the bathroom." Sasuke said, standing up and looking down at the blond.

"Okay." he replied, not catching the hint.

Sasuke shifted, and then coughed, causing Naruto to look at him again. Sasuke motioned the bathroom with his head, and the blond cocked an eyebrow. The raven began nodding his head towards the bathroom with a 'come on!' look on his face, so Naruto sighed, figuring it would do him no good to play dumb.

"You know, I kind of need to pee, too. I'll come, too."

"Way to word it, Naruto." Tenten grinned. "I'm _come_, too. I have no doubt that you will."

"Dude!" Kiba covered his ears with both hands as Sasuke and Naruto made their way to the bathroom.

As the two men disappeared inside, a few more people entered the bar before one of them ran towards the bathroom, slamming through the door. He was shoved back out a second later, two voices screaming the same thing.

"Go _away_, Genma!"

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Iruka rolled over in bed, his hand reaching out for Kakashi. He frowned as he was met with nothing but air, and forced his eyes open. He glanced at the clock, noting the time was close to four in the morning. He sat up and looked around the room, not finding his lover anywhere.

The brunette threw the covers off himself and stood, yawning as he padded across the room to the door. He walked down the corridor and noticed a light on in the kitchen as he descended the stairs. Kakashi was sitting at the kitchen table, his back to the door. Iruka walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around the grey-haired man's neck.

"Couldn't sleep?" he murmured as his eyes drifted closed.

"No." Kakashi whispered.

Iruka frowned, opening his eyes at the tone of Kakashi's voice. He pulled away from him and sat down, noting the cup of coffee in front of the firefighter. Kakashi was also sitting with his hands clasped together and resting in front of his mouth, something he only did when he was worried, or something was bothering him.

"Kakashi, what's wrong?" Iruka whispered, running one hand up and down Kakashi's closest arm.

The Captain sighed, raking his hand through his grey hair before leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, a frown on his face.

"You know, I've never been one for believing in fate or those stupid meant-to-be things people sometimes feel, but I've always trusted my gut." Kakashi whispered. "Like when Zabuza and I—when he died because of the flashover, I felt something in my gut telling me something was wrong."

"And what's wrong now?" Iruka asked.

"I don't know." Kakashi admitted. "But my gut feels like it's being wrenched apart, so whatever it is, it's bad—and it's going to happen soon."

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Itachi unlocked the door to a house he hadn't entered for over a decade, looking around. He was amazed to find it was still in pretty good condition. He moved aside to let his cleaning lady pass, the woman looking around terrified. After all, who _wouldn't_ be scared if someone like Itachi had shoved them in a car and driven them out to a house in the middle of nowhere?

"I want this house cleaned before tomorrow." he said monotonously before closing the door behind her and walking back towards his car. She could find her own way home, he had other things to set up.

The elder Uchiha got back into his car, starting it, and drove down the dirt path. He knew exactly where he needed to go, and exactly what to do for tomorrow. Everything had to be _perfect_ and timed _to the second_. He trusted the firefighters to act the way they always did, and he trusted the Captain to make the same stupid mistake he did every time there was a fire.

Itachi smirked as he thought of the look on old Scarecrow's face when he found out that it was because of how predictable he was.

He parked at the end of a long street of buildings and got out of his car. He opened his trunk and pulled out a large bag before slamming it closed again and walking calmly down the street. He'd have to move his car later, or else things wouldn't work the way he wanted them to, but that would only take a second.

The elder Uchiha entered a building and began going about setting up his new trap.

Itachi couldn't wait for the morning.

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Sasuke stared out the front window of Engine Seven as they careened down the street, Kiba hollering angrily from beside him about disrespectful people not moving for the fire truck.

"What, you think these pretty lights are here for show, _move_ you fucking idiots!"

"Kiba, they can't hear you over the _sirens_." Naruto reminded with a small chuckle.

Sasuke just smiled, shaking his head as they continued down the street. Kakashi whistled, making the three in the back look out the front window. Naruto cursed as he saw the building on fire. The only thing he could think of was The Fan. Even if it was a normal fire, Sasuke's elder brother was the first thing he thought about _all_ the time.

"Let me guess, Naruto and I are going in first?" Sasuke asked as he began to get his gear ready.

"You're so smart, Sasuke." Kakashi smirked over his shoulder as they approached the burning building.

"He wants to kill us, doesn't he?" Naruto inquired as he snapped his mask into place, turning on his radio.

"Yup." Sasuke agreed as he did the same.

They stopped in front of the building and the firefighters jumped out of the Rig, Sasuke running around to grab the hose with Naruto while Kiba ran to the gages to check the water-pressure when the hose was turned on.

Naruto and Sasuke ran towards the building with the hose, Sasuke kicking the door open and then crawling into the gloom. Naruto was right behind him. As they moved, trying to locate the source of the fire, Sasuke realized it was mostly smoke. They'd have to find the fire before doing anything else.

As they moved further into the building, Sasuke opened a door, and his eyes widened. **"We've got a civilian in here!" **he hollered into his radio as he and Naruto abandoned the hose at the door, crawling into the room.

"**We'll get Wolfgang and Godd in there right away."** Kakashi assured them. **"Is the civilian still breathing?"**

Sasuke reached the figure, who was lying on its side. He reached out one gloved hand, and the second it touched the person's shoulder, an arm came around, swinging a lead pipe at him. The pipe smashed into Sasuke's mask, breaking the front of it as he toppled backwards, his helmet flying off his head.

"**Sasuke!"** Naruto hurried towards Sasuke as the figure stood, a mask on the person's face. Sasuke's eyes widened as he stared up at his brother, able to see the smirk through the elder Uchiha's mask.

Itachi said nothing as he swung the lead pipe a second time, this time, hitting Naruto across the back of the head. The blond fell forward, a crack in his helmet. The blow had mostly been blocked by the helmet, but it still left Naruto disoriented.

"Good bye, little brother. Enjoy your final seconds as a firefighter." Itachi swung the lead pipe across Sasuke's unprotected head, knocking the raven out and causing blood to spatter across the floor from the blow.

Naruto turned and his eyes widened as he saw the blood. He struggled to get back to his feet, but Itachi kicked him in the back, forcing him back to the ground. Naruto groaned as he was slammed into the floor, his mask digging painfully into his face. Itachi reached into his pocket, extracting a while cloth. He then bent down and pulled Naruto's mask off his face, his knee still pressed into the blond's back, forcing him to stay on his stomach.

Naruto struggled as his mask was pulled off, and replaced with a white cloth. He tried his best not to breathe, but it was hard when someone was crushing your lungs. He had no choice, and the second he started inhaling through the cloth, he felt himself getting dizzy until his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell unconscious.

Itachi grabbed the blond's radio and Scott pack, throwing them across the room before pulling the firefighter over his shoulder and casting one last glance at his little brother. He smiled.

"It's been fun, Sasuke, but it looks like I've won."

Itachi turned to the window in the room, which he'd left open specifically for his escape, and jumped through it with Naruto.

When Kiba and Izumo arrived a few seconds later, they were greeted with the sight of an unconscious and bleeding Sasuke with a cracked mask. The raven had undoubtedly been inhaling smoke since he'd fallen, and with the wound at the back of his head, this required immediate attention.

They never found Naruto.

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**A/N: Short, I know, but y'all know me and cliffhangers :3 Next chapter will be out tomorrow, I promise. It's the least I can do for the cliffhanger.**


	19. Brothers Reunited

**Disclaimer: KIBA IS MINE! HE IS MINE! SEE?.!. :motions Kiba plushie: SEE?.! HE'S MINE!. :K. Masashi cocks his eyebrow in the background before shaking his head and wandering off, swearing in Japanese. Sarge turns to K. Masashi: KIBA IS _NOT_ GAY! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!**

**A/N: Weeee, loooooooong chapter to make up for the short one yesterday.**

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"Sasuke?" The raven let out a weak groan as the voice forced itself through his fuzzy mind. "Sasuke, can you hear me? Sasuke?"

Sasuke let out a louder groan as he struggled to regain consciousness, his eyes fluttering open. His vision swam as he looked around the room. It took much longer than it should have for his eyes to focus, and even when things began to clear up, they still weren't spectacular.

"Wher'm I?" Sasuke slurred, his eyes trying to focus on the grey blob before him. He could only assume it was Kakashi.

"You're in the hospital. You have a brain contusion." he informed.

"Eighteen stitches, man." Kiba's voice added from somewhere behind Kakashi. "You're lucky you didn't bleed to death. That, or suffocate."

"Why..." Sasuke trailed off as his foggy brain tried to understand everything they were saying. He had a brain contusion, which meant blood had leaked into his brain tissue. Fine, that was possible. Eighteen stitches suggested it was because of something internal. Again, also possible. But how had all of this _happened_? And why wasn't Naruto here to give him head and make it all better?

"_Good bye, little brother. Enjoy your final seconds as a firefighter."_

Sasuke's eyes snapped open and he jerked up in bed, which was a bad idea, but he did it anyway.

"Itachi!" he blurted out. "He hit me across the head with a lead pipe! And he—" Sasuke's breath caught in his throat. _He has Naruto._ "I have to help him."

Sasuke threw his feet over the side of the bed to get up, but Kakashi's eyes widened and he grabbed the raven, pushing him back onto the bed. "Are you insane?.! Get back into bed!"

"Kakashi—"

"Now!"

"You don't understand!" Sasuke hollered. "He has Naruto!"

"We know." Sasuke's eyes flickered towards the door at the voice, seeing Shino standing there with Hinata. "We need to ask you some questions."

"Screw the questions, go find him!" Sasuke hollered.

"We can't find him if we d-don't know where he is." Hinata said in her small voice, avoiding Sasuke's eyes. It was like she was ashamed to tell him they had no idea where to start looking.

"Calm down, Uchiha." Shino ordered as he walked further into the room. "First, tell us what happened. We heard from your Captain that you and Naruto encountered a civilian."

"It was my brother." Sasuke hissed, his fists clenching. "He was posing as a civilian. He had a mask on, his back to us. We couldn't tell who he was, or that he was able to breathe. When I touched his shoulder, he swung at me. I don't really remember much after that. I remember Naruto screaming something, and that's pretty much it."

Blood was beginning to drip from between the raven's clenched fists. He'd broken skin from squeezing so hard. Kakashi forced him to relax his hands.

"Do you have any idea where he could've gone? Any idea why he would've taken Naruto?" Shino demanded.

"If I knew where he was, don't you think he'd be in _jail_ by now?" Sasuke hissed. "And as for..." He trailed off, his eyes lowering. He couldn't say it.

"Sasuke?" Shino asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I think—Itachi wants him." He looked up at Shino, swallowing hard. "You know, _wants_ him."

The police officer's eyes widened and Hinata's hand flew to her mouth.

"Shit, you've gotta be kidding me." Kiba ran his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth across the length of the room. "Fuck, we've got to find him."

"We don't even know where to start looking." Kakashi whispered, looking at Sasuke apologetically.

The Captain somewhat blamed himself. He always sent Sasuke and Naruto in first, and this was obviously something Itachi had noticed. Had Kakashi changed the order every once in a while, this might not have happened. _Or, I might have lost even **more** firefighters, _he reasoned. There was no guarantee Itachi wouldn't have killed everyone to get what he wanted. Hell, he probably thought he'd succeeded in killing Sasuke.

Truth be told, he almost had.

The head injury, mixed in with the smoke inhalation, had almost killed him. Sasuke had been lucky they'd gotten him to the hospital so quickly, or he would've died, just like his brother wanted. But there was no need to tell Sasuke that. He had enough on his plate as it was.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Sasuke growled, clenching his fists again, despite Kakashi trying to make him stop. "Am I supposed to just sit here and recover while my psycho of a brother does God knows what to my boyfriend?.!"

Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to say.

---------------------------------------------

Sasuke stared out the window of his bedroom, watching as the sun began to set. It had been four hours since he'd woken up, and everyone had left soon after, not being able to stand his anger. He wasn't mad at them, really. Mostly at himself for not having seen it coming, and for not having been able to stop it.

Naruto was gone, and it was his fault. He couldn't stop Itachi from taking someone else important to him. He was such a failure.

His door opened then, and he turned to look at the person who entered. Kiba gave him a weak smile as he closed the door behind himself, shoving his hands in his pockets uneasily.

"Um, you're on TV." he told the raven. He walked across the room, picking the remote up from beside Sasuke and turned on the television. He changed the channel from the soap opera it was currently on, to the news.

The first thing Sasuke saw was a picture of himself, and he growled. The television was muted, so he couldn't hear what the reporter was saying, but seconds later, pictures of Itachi and Naruto side by side appeared, and Kiba had to duck as Sasuke hurled his water jug at the screen. Luckily, it was made of plastic, so all he succeeded in doing was splash water on the television. His aim had been freakishly accurate.

Kiba turned the television off, turning to Sasuke sympathetically. "They'll find him." he insisted. Sasuke turned to him with a glare. Kiba glared back. "They will. Don't think you're the only one who's worried about him, man. I care about the guy, too. He's probably the closest friend I have at Station Seven."

With that, Kiba turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. Sasuke returned to staring out the window, except now, he was glaring moreso than staring.

A few hours passed, and as night fell, his door opened. Sakura walked in with a tray of food, setting it down in front of Sasuke, and then straightened again. "I'm sorry about Naruto." she whispered. "The two of you seem to be having a bad year."

"Yeah." Sasuke whispered.

"Um, there's a phone call for you. I didn't know whether or not you'd want to take it, so I put the person on hold." She watched Sasuke carefully as he stared out the window. He finally turned to her, and nodded, his eyes lowered.

"Yeah, sure. I'll take it."

"Okay. I'll transfer the call. The phone's there." She motioned a phone on the bedside table before walking out.

Sasuke picked up the receiver and put it to his ear, waiting. He heard a beep, then a click, and then heard breathing.

"Hello?" he inquired.

"_So, you're still alive."_ Sasuke's eyes widened and his grip tightened around the phone.

"Where is he?.!" he hollered angrily. "Where is he, you sick fuck?.!"

"_No, please don't!" _Sasuke's breath hitched as he heard Naruto.

"Naruto!"

"_Listen well, little brother." _Itachi's voice rang down the line, a smirk evident in his voice. _"Listen well."_

"_Sasuke! Help me! Please!"_

"_Shut up." _There was the distinct sound of flesh hitting flesh. Itachi had just hit Naruto.

"_Please, don't! Stop it! Stop!"_ Sasuke clenched his fist around the phone, hearing the plastic crack.

"No! Stop it!" Sasuke hollered. His door slammed open, Sakura staring in at him wide-eyed and concerned.

"_Stop! Please!"_ It was obvious Naruto was crying. _"It hurts! Please stop! It **hurts**!"_

"_You're so fucking tight."_

"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed.

Naruto let out a loud cry of pain. _"It hurts! **Stop it**!" _

Sasuke hung up. He couldn't take it any more. He breathed hard as he stared at the phone.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sakura asked urgently as she ran to Sasuke's side.

"I need you to help me." Sasuke whispered. "I have to get out of here."

"Sasuke, you can't!" Sakura seemed appalled at the mere _idea_. "You have a brain contusion, I can't just let you walk—"

Sasuke grabbed her hand, holding it tightly as he clenched his jaw, struggling to remain calm. "My brother is currently torturing Naruto." he whispered. Sakura's eyes widened further. "If I don't find him, Naruto is going to die. I can't help him if I'm stuck in here. _Please_." A tear fell across the raven's cheek, but he didn't even seem to notice. "I can't lose him, too."

Sakura bit her bottom lip before turning to look at the door. She let out a small sigh before reaching over and turning off his heart-rate monitor.

"I'm gonna get fired for this." she whispered as she helped Sasuke stand.

---------------------------------------------

Sasuke stumbled into his house, his head spinning. He felt like he was going to be sick, but he forced the feeling away as he went to the table in the front hall. He opened the drawer and rummaged around in it for a set of pictures. He had the negatives at Kakashi's, because Itachi kept destroying his houses, but he always redeveloped pictures when he lost them.

He found what he was looking for and opened it, trying to make his head stop spinning. He looked through the pictures until he found the one he want. It was of his family, before Itachi had gone crazy and killed them all. Sasuke, his mum and his dad were all smiling happily at the camera. Itachi was looking behind them at the house they were standing in front of. It was their old cottage down near the forests close to the border. Sasuke hadn't been there in years, but Itachi had always loved it.

The Uchiha didn't know why he'd thought of it on his way home from the hospital, but right now, it was all he had. Grabbing the picture, he made his way to the garage and opened the door. He went to his car and got in as he opened his glove box to find one of his emergency phones. He pulled it out as he opened the garage door and dialled a number before putting it to his ear.

"_Yo."_

"Kiba, don't talk. Just listen."

"_Sasuke! Holy shit, man! Where the fuck are you?.! Kakashi's worried sick! The doctors say you're going to kill yourself!"_

"I _said_ don't talk!" Sasuke hollered angrily, which caused his head to pound. It felt like his brain was too big for his skull, and he winced. He pulled out of the garage and started down the street. "Listen, I think I might know where Itachi is. I don't have time to wait for the cops, so I need you to let them know. Since this is Itachi, you might want to get the others and come down with Engine Seven. Chances are he's going to start another fire."

"_Where is he? Where are **you**?.!"_

"I'm going to find him. Don't try to stop me. If you want to help, then get the others." Sasuke proceeded to tell him the directions to the cottage, ignoring Kiba's continuous attempts to get him to go back to the hospital. Once he was finished, he hung up the phone, throwing it on the seat beside him as he clenched and unclenched his fists around the steering wheel.

"Just you and me, now, Itachi. You haven't won yet."

---------------------------------------------

The younger Uchiha parked his car at the end of the long driveway that led towards their cottage. He climbed out of the car and closed the door silently as he snuck towards the house, the darkness making it easy for him to disappear. He crouched down by a tree and pushed the branches aside to stare up at the large house. There were lights on upstairs.

_Itachi's in there, _Sasuke insisted to himself. _He **has** to be._ Sasuke forced himself not to think about how he had no leads if he was wrong. He forced himself not to think about the possibility of Naruto being dead. He just stood up and made his way cautiously towards the front door.

He pressed his back against the wall as he reached the door, waiting silently. He heard nothing, so he reached over and tried the door. It was locked. If he kicked it open, Itachi would know he was there. He needed to find another way in.

Sasuke made his way silently off the porch and around the house, looking at all the windows. He found one slightly ajar in the living room and pushed it open. He peeked inside, but the entire room was dark. That meant Itachi was upstairs.

The raven climbed in through the window as cautiously as he could, ensuring not to let his clothes catch on anything. He didn't want Itachi to know he was there until he got upstairs, at the very least. He made it into the living room with no problems and slowly headed towards the stairs, not even noticing when he stepped on a trip wire.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and looked up. The light from an open door flooded into the corridor at the top of the stairs, so Sasuke could only hope Itachi wasn't looking in that direction. He began climbing the stairs, pausing with a wince as one of the boards creaked beneath his feet. _Why does the bloody place have to be made out of **wood**?_ Sasuke thought angrily.

When he heard no footsteps coming to see about the noise, Sasuke continued hurriedly. He reached the top of the stairs and crouched, glancing down the corridor. He noticed the room with the light on was Itachi's old room. The one he used to stay in when they stayed at the cottage. Sasuke inched towards it, reaching it in a matter of seconds. He took a deep breath, and then glanced in.

Itachi had his back to the door, his eyes locked on an unconscious Naruto. The blond was lying on the elder Uchiha's bed, his head turned to one side and a blanket over his hips, groin and upper thighs. The blanket and sheets had blood on them. Sasuke's eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat.

"I have to admit, it took you longer than I thought."

Sasuke's eyes snapped back to his brother, Itachi's back still to him. How did he know he was there?.!

"I was sure you'd have been here hours ago." The elder Uchiha turned now, his eyes locked on his younger brother's. "I guess it just shows you really _can't_ protect those important to you."

Sasuke stood, coming into the doorway with clenched fists. His eyes continued to flicker back and forth between Naruto's unconscious form, and his brother's intimidating figure. "This is between you and me." His voice sounded small, even to his own ears. "Leave him out of it."

"Oh, this does not stop at you and me, little brother." Itachi smirked. "Naruto is just as involved as you are. I'm not surprised you don't remember each other. You _were_, after all, only six the last time you met."

"What?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"Father and Arashi Uzumaki used to be good friends." Itachi sat down on the edge of the bed, his left hand rubbing against the smooth skin of Naruto's arm. Sasuke clenched his fists. "You and Naruto used to play together for a while. But then, I got sent to juvie for causing a fire, and when I got out, I wanted Naruto in order to experiment with fire in small spaces. I didn't want to use you, you were worthless." Sasuke's fists clenched more tightly, and his eyes narrowed, but he allowed Itachi to continue. "Arashi became scared, he thought I was going to hurt his son. After he continued to refuse my offer, I became angry. Shortly after that, I killed mother and father." His eyes narrowed towards his little brother. "You were meant to die."

"But I didn't." Sasuke growled.

"No, you didn't." Itachi leaned back against Naruto slightly, his hand still rubbing the blond's tanned arm. "Soon after killing mother and father, I went to Arashi's. I wanted to test the brilliance of the so-called best firefighter in the world. I suppose he was pretty good, considering he got his son out of the house. He never escaped with his own life and his wife's, though." Itachi looked down at Naruto briefly before looking back at Sasuke. "I didn't care he was still alive, but he was taken in by the Sannin's. Those damned people would've been the death of me if I tried to take him from them, so I just ignored him and figured I would never be able to experiment. But one day, I saw him. He'd just graduated from the fire academy, and if you can believe it, he was almost more beautiful than he is right now." Sasuke's hand twitched to punch Itachi as the elder Uchiha ran one hand trough blond hair. "But then, he met you." Itachi turned to him, glaring. "And just like that, I'd lost him before I even had the chance to truly _have_ him. So now, he's mine, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Yes there is." Sasuke snapped.

"Oh?" Itachi smirked. "When you entered the house, you stepped on a wire, Sasuke. That wire set off a spark in the kitchen. There's a fire slowly spreading beneath us."

Sasuke's eyes widened before he looked down. Now that he knew about it, he could feel the heat through the floor, seeping into his shoes. He looked back up at Itachi, alarmed.

"So, now what? You can fight me, if you like, but by the time we finish, the house will have burnt to the ground. Or, you can just walk away, and let me have Naruto. Let me have _something_ for _once_ in my life." His eyes narrowed. "You don't deserve him."

"You killed his parents, what makes you think _you_ do?.!" Sasuke hollered angrily. "And I don't care if we burn with the house! I'm going to kill you for what you've done!"

The younger brother lunged towards Itachi, who swiftly avoided him, grabbing him around the neck before throwing him across the room. Sasuke slammed into the wall, letting out a gasp as stars danced in front of his eyes. His vision was swimming due to the blow to his head when he already had a brain contusion. He was going to be lucky if he survived this fight.

Itachi appeared before him in a second, his hand around Sasuke's throat. "It's sad that you want to fight me when you already know you're going to lose."

Sasuke grabbed hold of the hand around his neck, keeping it there. Itachi frowned, but he had no time to react as Sasuke's other hand jerked up sharply at Itachi's elbow. The elder Uchiha let out a grunt as he released his brother, pain shooting up his arm. Sasuke had either dislocated, or broken his elbow. Either way, it hurt like a bitch.

Sasuke coughed as he held his throat with one hand, trying to clear his vision. He estimated where Itachi was and lunged at him, tackling him to the floor. Itachi kicked him off easily, and Sasuke scrambled to his feet. Itachi backhanded him across the face and Sasuke slammed into the doorframe before falling to the ground with a groan.

The elder Uchiha bent down over his brother, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him off the ground. He opened his mouth to insult him some more when Sasuke kneed him in the groin. Itachi's eyes widened as he grit his teeth, dropping Sasuke and clutching between his legs with one hand, the other on the floor to support himself.

The firefighter forced himself to his feet, ignoring the smoke and heat he could feel coming from downstairs. The fire had spread out into the living room, and was slowly making its way upstairs.

Sasuke kicked Itachi in the stomach, the elder brother falling onto his side as he struggled to get over the pain in his nether regions. As Sasuke went to kick him again, Itachi's hand shot out, grabbing his leg and pulling. Sasuke fell backwards, bringing his hands up hurriedly behind his head. His hands cushioned the blow his head would've gotten from the floor when he landed, but his vision still swam at the constant abuse to his poor brain.

Both of them struggled to stand again, glaring at one another. Without warning, Sasuke let out a growl as he lunged at Itachi, tackling him around the middle, and sending the two of them flying down the corridor. As they landed a little further down the hall, Naruto's left hand twitched.

The two brothers wrestled on the ground like animals, biting each other, pulling hair, and punching whenever they saw an opening. They'd managed to get into one of the other rooms, and Sasuke actually got the two of them standing again, at one point, before tackling his brother and sending the two of them flying out the window.

The fall should've, by all accounts, killed the two of them. But, Itachi was super-human like that, letting out a cry as a few of his ribs broke on the landing. Sasuke landed on top of him, his brother taking the brunt of the fall, and was therefore unharmed.

Sasuke forced himself to his knees as he straddled his brother, grabbing Itachi's collar with one hand and punching him with the other. He continued to do this, as if he were a machine, unable to stop punching his brother over and over.

Eventually, Itachi began to laugh, and the harder Sasuke punched him, the louder he laughed. The younger Uchiha was getting angry, and he wanted his brother to pass out, already. The firefighter could also hear sirens, and he didn't want to have the police arrive and deprive him of his rights to beat Itachi to death.

Finally, as Itachi's laughter reached the point of hysteria, Sasuke stopped punching him, panting. Engine Seven had appeared by this time, anyway.

"What's so God damn funny?" Sasuke hissed.

"I thought all of us were going to die in that fire, but it looks like only one of us is dying tonight." Itachi smiled bloodily up at Sasuke.

The raven's eyes widened as he whipped around, his heart falling into his throat as he noticed the house. It was engulfed in flames. He even had burns on his arms and back because of how close he was to the house, but he'd been so preoccupied with beating up Itachi that he hadn't even noticed.

"Oh my God, Naruto!" Sasuke jumped to his feet, and as he began to run for the front door, he was stopped. Izumo grabbed the back of his shirt, holding it tightly to stop him from running back into the house.

"You're not in gear, Sasuke!" he hollered at him. "Kiba's going in! Calm down! We'll get him!"

"Let me go!" Sasuke hollered as he watched Kiba running towards the building with a hose. Just as he got in front of the door, fire exploded through the door, causing Kiba to fly backwards before the entire house collapsed in on itself.

Kiba sat up, staring at the house, horrified. He heard an inhuman shriek from behind him, turning around to see Sasuke on his knees, clawing at the ground. Kiba's heart felt like it was being wrenched from his chest as he turned back to stare at the house.

Sasuke only had one person important to him. That person had been in that house. And that had been the one person Kiba had just failed to save.

"Naruto." the dog-lover whispered, feeling tears in his eyes. "Naruto!"

---------------------------------------------

**:Sneaks away in hopes of not being found:**


	20. The Outcome of Sibling Rivalry

**Disclaimer:  
Sasuke: The authoress is dead. I killed her. Thank God she doesn't own me. :Returns to K. Masashi:**

------------------------------------------------

**Three Months Later.**

Konohamaru Nakamara slung his bag over his shoulder as he slammed the door of his old pickup truck. He regarded the firehouse before him and took a deep breath before walking towards it. He made his way through the Rig Bay and exited into a large room, looking around. He saw no one, but a large map on the far wall caught his eye.

Having nothing better to do, the young boy walked towards the map and stopped before it, looking at the area that was undoubtedly Station Seven's district. He frowned and traced certain roads with his finger on occasion, but then let his finger drop and continued to examine the map. This was his first assigned Station since graduating from the academy, and he was excited to get started.

"Who are you?" Konohamaru spun around and came face to face with Gaara, the redhead's eyes promising death if he didn't have a good answer.

"I-I'm the new firefighter assigned to this station." Konohamaru's eyes got wider and wider with each word, terrified that Gaara was going to kill him, even though he'd done nothing wrong.

A door across the room slammed open before, "Newbie!" was hollered.

Genma ran across the room and grabbed Konohamaru, hugging him tightly. "Oh, he's so cute! Can I have this one?.! Please! I wasn't allowed to have the _last_ one!"

"Genma, Christ!" Raidou appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the back of his lover's shirt, pulling him off. "Are you going to scare them away for the rest of your time here?"

"Maybe." the perverted firefighter replied with a sly grin.

Konohamaru just stared a the three of them wide-eyed. One of them looked ready to kill him, the other looked ready to _rape_ him, and the last one didn't really seem interested in him at all. What was _with_ this place?.! _All the others better not be this crazy, **that's** for sure!_ the new firefighter thought.

The door that lead to the Rig Bay suddenly slammed open, and Kakashi bolted towards his office, clutching a small package in his hand. Raidou and Gaara watched him go while Genma let out a gasp and bolted for the Captain's office.

"Is it here, is it here?.!" Genma demanded.

"It's the new one! The new Icha Icha!" Kakashi affirmed before the two of them slammed into his office.

Konohamaru stared at the door, and frowned. "Isn't the Captain going to be mad that two firefighters are reading what I can only assume is porn in his office?"

"Hard for him to get mad when he was one of them." Raidou stated as Kotetsu and Izumo walked in, the firefighters nodding a greeting to one another.

"What?.!" Konohamaru demanded. "You mean the guy who ran in maniacally was the Captain?.!"

"Just because Kakashi and Genma are perverts doesn't mean they're not good at their jobs." Kotetsu insisted as he grabbed a cup of coffee.

Konohamaru groaned, wondering what _exactly_ he'd gotten himself into. He just hoped there was _one_ normal person at this station. _Well, the scarred guy seems pretty normal,_ he decided as he regarded Raidou, who was now having a conversation with Izumo across the room.

The door to the Rig Bay opened again, Kiba and Sasuke walking in. The brunette walked towards the coffee machine without a word, no one stopping him as he grabbed a mug and proceeded to pour himself some of the black liquid. Sasuke just walked across the room, pulled out a chair, and sat down at the table. No one said a word to either man.

"What's their deal?" Konohamaru asked aloud. It looked like the raven wanted to commit suicide right there on the spot. It was kind of creeping the younger boy out.

"We don't discuss it." Konohamaru turned to Gaara as the redhead regarded the raven. "He gets angry, and then, he gets depressed. It's not beneficial to our job, so we don't bring it up."

"What don't we bring up?" Konohamaru asked with a frown.

Gaara fixed his cold green eyes on him and the young boy shivered at the hatred and anger he could see in those eyes.

"If I don't tell you, there is no chance of you bringing it up, is there?"

With that, Gaara walked away, headed for the kitchen to grab his own cup of coffee. Konohamaru stared after him for a few seconds before looking at Sasuke. He slowly made his way to the table and sat down across from the raven, who didn't even acknowledge him.

"Hey." he said uncertainly. "My name's Konohamaru. I'm new here."

"I can see that." Sasuke whispered.

"So..." Konohamaru trailed off, not sure what to say. "You got a name?"

"Sasuke." was the clipped reply. It was obvious the raven didn't want to talk to this newcomer. It was obvious he wanted nothing to do with him. And who could blame him after what happened with the _last_ newcomer?

The Rig Bay door slammed open, and everyone turned towards it, horrified.

"Good _morning_ all you wonderful, youthful firefighters!" a voice boomed before the person speaking broke out into a fit of giggles. "Oh, man! Your faces! You guys all looked ready to run for the hills!"

"Jesus Christ!" Izumo hollered angrily. "Do you have _any_ idea how _mean_ that was?.!"

"I couldn't help it." He giggled before scratching the back of his head.

Sasuke stood up from his seat at the table and marched purposefully towards the door and the blond idiot standing in it. Naruto's smile faded and his eyes widened as he saw his lover headed for him. Sasuke stopped right in front of him, glaring at him.

"You never came home." he hissed.

"I know, I'm sorry. Rick messed up my schedule at Wal-Mart, so I ended up staying later than I was meant to. I hardly had enough time to get _here_." Naruto motioned the clock.

"I told you to quit." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"But I like working there." Naruto pouted.

"Tch. Moron."

And then, to Konohamaru's complete horror, Sasuke grabbed Naruto—and started _kissing_ him. It took all he had not to scream in fright at the sight before him. Was-was everyone here _gay_?.! Because _that_ would get uncomfortable for him!

------------------------------------------------

**Three Months Ago.**

Naruto's hand twitched as he regained consciousness, pain flaring from his lower back and ass. It was almost unbearable, and he threatened to pass out again. Opening his eyes slowly, he could hear Sasuke and Itachi fighting down the corridor. He opened his mouth to speak, but the air in the room was hot. _Too_ hot.

_Shit, the house is on fire,_ the blond realized, his brain foggy. He rolled off the bed, crying out loudly as he hit the floor and it sent more sparks of pain shooting up his spine, the blanket around his waist slipping off him. The floor was hot. Not good. It was going to give out any second.

Grunting, the blond forced himself to his feet, holding his stomach with one hand as he felt himself ready to hurl. His head spun, and he could feel blood dripping down the back of his thighs. _Got to get out,_ he thought, trying to stay conscious. He dragged himself to the window and pulled it open before climbing out onto the roof carefully.

The house groaned ominously as he stepped out onto the roof, his vision blurring as he saw all the trees before him. He could see lights flashing out of the corner of his eye, but they were coming from the front of the house, and he was at the back. He cautiously made his way down the slanted roof when the house behind him suddenly shot hot air out the window before the entire second floor collapsed.

Naruto lost his footing and fell off the roof, landing hard on his back. He cried out in pain before rolling onto his side and curling in on himself, embers falling around him. A few landed on his naked flesh and he hissed, tears falling from his eyes.

"Sasuke." he sobbed, the edge of his vision going dark. "Help me." he whispered. "Please. Help me."

"Hey, we've got someone out here!" a voice he didn't recognize hollered before hands grabbed him roughly.

"No!" Naruto struggled weakly. "No, please!"

"Calm down. Calm down." Naruto didn't recognize the voice. He didn't recognize the face looking down at him. "Jesus, you're going to get burnt to a crisp. Medic!" The firefighter pulled his jacket off, wrapping it around Naruto's naked form before grabbing him in his arms, pulling him off the ground and bringing him away from the burning house.

"Oh my God, Naruto!" Tenten was beside him a second later, walking alongside the firefighter as they rushed around the house. "Naruto, can you hear me?"

"Sasuke." the blond whimpered.

"Sasuke!" Tenten hollered as they rounded the corner. "It's Naruto! He's alive!"

Sasuke and Kiba's heads whipped in the direction of the firefighter carrying Naruto before both bolted towards him.

"Naruto!"

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**Present.**

"Hey, you two, break it up. You're scaring the newbie." Kotetsu smirked as he took a sip of his coffee.

Naruto and Sasuke broke apart, the blond looking over his lover's shoulder at Konohamaru.

"Oh my god! Newbie!" Naruto bolted for Konohamaru, who looked around for an escape, but didn't end up needing one. Sasuke had grabbed the blond's wrist to stop him from leaving his side, and was now calmly walking towards Konohamaru with him. After all, Sasuke would _never_ let _anyone_ put their dirty, filthy, undeserving hands on _his_ blond. That included Naruto touching others, because their filth was _still_ touching his blond.

"Hi! I'm Naruto!" The blond held his hand out to Konohamaru. Sasuke glared at the new firefighter as he reached up to grab it, and the boy winced, but shook Naruto's hand, nevertheless.

"Konohamaru."

"Hey, cool." Naruto grinned. "Don't mind Sasuke, he's always like this." He motioned his lover's glare. "He's still pissed I got under his skin. He doesn't like talking to any of the new people we get because of what happened the _last_ time."

"And what happened the last time?" Konohamaru asked with a frown.

"Well, considering the last time was _me_, I guess you can tell what happened." Naruto waggled his eyebrows. "He's so overprotective of me it's not even funny. Right, bastard?" He smirked at his lover.

"Shut up, moron." Sasuke grumbled before letting Naruto's wrist go and walking back to the table, feeling better now that he knew Konohamaru was probably straight. A person's eyes can only get so big, and when they reached a certain largeness when Naruto and Sasuke being involved was brought up, Sasuke was _sure_ the person they were talking to was straight.

"Why is he so grumpy?" Konohamaru whispered to Naruto, feeling like the blond was probably the only person who would truthfully know.

"Sasuke is an Uchiha." Naruto whispered back, his eyes locked on his lover. "The last of them."

"Really?" Konohamaru's eyes widened. "You mean he owns the Uchiha company?"

"Yeah, and that's what's got him down." Naruto sighed. "He's pretty sure one of his last business deals put a lot of people out of a job, and he's upset about it. He's trying to find a way to make it better, or to at _least_ get these people new jobs, you know?"

"Whoa. Poor guy." Konohamaru breathed.

"Poor guy?" Both of them jumped as the voice spoke from right behind them. "He gets to fuck Naruto every night. How does that make him a 'poor guy'?"

"Dammit, Genma!" Naruto hollered angrily. "How did you get out here without me seeing you?.!"

"I'm talented." Genma grinned. "In more ways than one." His eyes lowered to rest not-so-subtly on Naruto's crotch. Konohamaru covered his own hurriedly, in case Genma got any ideas.

"I guess Raidou will be the only one to ever know how talented you truly are." Naruto grinned before turning on his heel and heading for the kitchen, greeting Kiba as he neared it.

"Hey, Kyuubi." Kiba held his fist out so Naruto could hit it with his own. The blond leaned against the counter beside Kiba, staring enviously at the cup of coffee Kiba held. Naruto and Kiba were the only two who weren't allowed coffee—they still insisted Genma shouldn't be allowed any, either, but he went absolutely insane when they tried to cut him off. It was safer to let him have it.

As for why Kiba was currently enjoying said cup of coffee, it was because Hinata had gotten angry with him and forced him to sleep on the couch for the last few weeks. He'd been a wreck the first day, and Kakashi had decided to cut him some slack and let him have his desired cup of coffee.

"Hinata still have you sleeping on the couch?" Naruto asked sympathetically as he motioned the mug of coffee in the brunette's hand.

Kiba grinned before leaning in to whisper to Naruto. "No, but since that was the only excuse I could use to get coffee, I decided to milk it for all it was worth. We made up four days ago."

Raidou appeared out of nowhere, as he so often did, and wrenched the coffee from Kiba's hands, the brunette letting out a whine as he reached for it, only to have it poured down the sink.

"No! My black, heavenly goodness!" Kiba exclaimed as he flew in front of the sink and watched it go down the drain. He spun around and pointed one finger at Raidou. "You are an evil, _evil_ man!"

"Careful, or I'll sic Genma on you."

Kiba paled. "You wouldn't."

"I _would_!" Raidou grinned.

"Would what?.!" Genma hollered from across the room. "Sex with Kiba?.! Can I?.!"

"No!" Kiba hid behind Naruto.

They all heard a loud rumbling sound and turned towards the Rig Bay. The door opened a few seconds later, the firefighters from the previous shift walking in while pulling off their gear.

"Sweet Jesus, is it time for us to go home?" one of them asked happily as he noticed all the other firefighters.

"Yup." Kiba grinned. "But shower, first, man. You smell like ass, and I doubt the wife will appreciate that."

"Screw you, Inuzuka, at least I'm getting some."

"As am I." Kiba grinned, before he paled and turned to Naruto. "Don't tell Neji."

"What'll you give me to keep my mouth shut?" Naruto grinned.

"I won't tell Sasuke that you told me in detail how cute he looked when he slept."

Naruto pouted. "You're mean, Kiba."

"I try."

The door to the Captain's office opened, Kakashi emerging, looking annoyed. Raidou had dragged him away from his book to introduce the new firefighter at their station. So, the grey-haired Captain called them all towards the table and motioned Konohamaru.

"Gentlemen—"

"_And_ ladies." Tenten snapped, insulted.

"Of course, and ladies." Kakashi corrected. "I would like to introduce you all to our newest firefighter, who may or may not last longer than the last one."

"Genma keeps scaring them off." Naruto whined as he leaned back into Sasuke, the raven wrapping his arms around the blond. "I say we get rid of him."

"But then who will molest you in the shower?" Genma teased.

"Sasuke." everyone replied immediately, said raven grinning at Genma.

"Anyway, back to business." Kakashi said. "This here is Konohamaru. He—"

A loud pop interrupted the Captain's speech as the operator spoke over the speaker. _"This is a general alarm for Engine Seven, Truck Ten, and Medic Eight. Reports of a structure fire at 3446 Blenheim Road."_

"Guess the introductions can finish up later." Kakashi said as they all ran for their gear. "Come on, Rookie, keep up!"

Naruto grabbed his bunker gear, and as he turned to jump into the Engine, he found himself face to face with Sasuke. The raven grabbed his face and kissed him deeply before letting him go.

"You can't do this before every fire, Sasuke." the blond teased.

"Watch me." Sasuke grinned before running off towards Medic Eight, the firefighter-turned-paramedic jumping into the passenger seat before Tenten drove off.

"Kyuubi, let's go!" Kiba hollered.

"I'm coming!" Naruto ran towards the Engine and jumped into it as it began moving.

Gaara peeled out of the bay like hell on wheels, the lights flashing, the sirens blaring. Truck Ten followed suit.

The firefighters and paramedics made their way through the busy streets to their destination, all of them but the rookie smiling secretly to themselves due to the knowledge of not having to worry about The Fan trying to kill them all.

As Medic Eight passed a grocery store, Sasuke contemplated how many times he could make Naruto cum that night if he got all the necessary props.

THE END.

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**A/N: awww, happy ending :P And for all you people who went "Ah, this is FastForward, she never kills anyone" ONE DAY! ONE DAY, I SHALL KILL SOMEONE AND IT'LL HIT YOU IN THE FACE! THE FACEEEE! HA! And then, I will be laughing... and then running. :sweatdrop:**

**Also, y'all think you're getting rid of me now, dontcha? YOU'RE WRONG! I have EIGHT--yes, EIGHT--ideas in this hollow skull of mine. :knocks on head and listens to it echo: They're in there! All eight of them! You shall not be rid of me, so if you're one of those people hoping I'm going to disappear, HAH! TOUGH! **

**Among the eight ideas in my head are six Naruto fics, and two Gundam Wing fics (all of which have already been put in order of completion by my muse, who insists she has the right to do so. I just smile, nod, and do as she says). The Challenge has _not_ been forgotten, and I'm sorry it's taking me so long to finish it, but it's harder than it seems! **

**Also, My muse has recently drawn characters (her own, original ones) and I have started to write a fic about them and their chaotic lives based on the way she wanted the fic laid out. Since it's going to be dealing with pretty dark matters, I'm going to post it on my yahoo, if I post it at all. I guess it'll depend on how people feel about reading some of my original work. **

**Anyway, I've bored y'all to death now, so, later. And again, I SHALL NOT DISAPPEAR, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU BEG! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**


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